Titan Slaying Reaper's
by alpine992
Summary: Can Rukia and Ichigo find Kisuke in a world filled with horrors where even for Soul Reapers it's quite possible that death could come at the hands of Titans? How will they react when they see the horrors of the Titans first hand as they search for Kisuke all the while learning how to Kill Titans as even with a Zanpakuto it takes a lot to take down a Titan. NOT Ichi/Ruki "Spoilers!"
1. Chapter 1

**This will contain Spoliers for Shingeki No Kyojin Manga, if you aren't up to date with the manga and don't want spoilers then I suggest you stop reading. Or stop being lazy and read the manga. Your choice.**

"Why am I here exactly?" Ichigo questioned as Rukia led him towards the first division barracks, or more so the meeting room that held the captains meetings. Rukia glanced over her shoulder and frowned at him, that alone told him that the matter was serious. "I just graduated the other day, couldn't you give me a few days peace before I start doing more jobs for you guys. I mean I did agree to actually do more jobs for the Soul Society, so what's the rush?" He asked her.

"Would you stop asking so many damn questions! I was just told to bring you to the meeting hall! I have no idea what's going on either!" Rukia snapped at him making him sigh. "Captain Ukitake simply asked if I could bring you to the Captain's meeting, that's all I know. For all I know they could simply want to know about your exam scores, stop being such a pain in the ass!" She growled.

"Geeze what climbed up your ass and died." Ichigo mumbled making Rukia growl at him but otherwise remained silent on their trek to the meeting hall. She stood before the large doors before turning back to Ichigo.

"At least try and be respectful this time." She sighed, hiding a slight smirk making Ichigo grin and push the doors open, only to go wide eyed as he and Rukia saw the complete turmoil that was going on inside. The Captains of the Gotei Thirteen were shouting at one another, questions were being shouted just as much as insults, the presence of Ichigo and Rukia didn't even seem to bother them. Ichigo glanced to Rukia who was just as shocked as he was. Even her brother looked to be agitated, composed but agitated. This was indeed a serious matter.

"Silence!" The room immediately fell silent as the head captain entered the room and sat down, an annoyed expression on his face as he looked out over the captains with open eyes. "The situation is dire and you're acting like a bunch of children! Enough!"

"Yo, Gramps, what's this all about?" Ichigo asked walking into the room getting shocked glances from everyone as they hadn't even realised that the substitute or Rukia had entered, to caught up with their own banter with one another.

"Ichigo Kurosaki." Yamamoto greeted with a slight bow of his head. "I apologise for requesting your aid after so short a time. I do believe that you agreed to aid us in our times of need after you graduated. However, your assistance would be greatly appreciated with this matter." Ichigo shrugged.

"Bound to happen sooner or later, what do you need help with?" Ichigo asked him.

"That's a good question." Kenpachi grunted out, that was when Ichigo realised that he was the only one not fighting before the head captain had entered the room.

"Unlike you, who doesn't read every report he's given." Soi-fon huffed out in annoyance. "The rest of us actually know what's going on!" She growled at the eleventh squad captain.

"Yet you don't even know what we're dealing with." The Captain of the twelfth division said to the second squad captain, a slight smirk on his face. "It's rather a quite the intriguing creature."

"It's killed half a dozen of my squad members already." Soi-fon glared at him. "It's not intriguing, it's on the to be dead list!" This only caused the mad scientist to laugh.

"That's what's so intriguing! It's neither a hollow or soul reaper and yet it devoured several souls! Haha! It is quite intriguing!" He continued to laugh.

"Enough of this childish arguing!" Yamamoto shouted slamming his cane down on the floor. "The creature shall be disposed of!"

"Head Captain, so far the effects we've been having on it have all but been useless." Mayuri told him. "It regenerates faster then a hollow, and it doesn't seem to react to any chemicals that we've given it. Quite intriguing."

"So you're saying you can't kill it?" Kenpachi asked with a grin. "Give me five minutes with the damn beast and I'll kill it." He laughed before the loud bang of the head captain's cane surrounded again.

"I will not ask again! Hold your tongues!" He roared making everyone fall silent. "Ichigo Kurosaki! As this does not directly influence the world of the living, I can understand if you wish to refuse this. However, we can not spare the man power to send, if you accept, Rukia Kuchiki shall be accompanying you." Yamamoto told him.

"I thought you said you didn't know anything about this." Ichigo asked looking over his shoulder to look at a wide eyed Rukia.

"This is the first I'm hearing about it." She admitted to him before he turned back to the Head Captain.

"I'm going to need more detailed description before I make up my mind."

"We'd tell you..." Shinji stated. "However, we don't know that much about this creature either. Kisuke Urahara was the one who founded the strange creature, and even then he was scarce with details." Ichigo glanced at the newly reinstated captain before looking over the faces of the other captains to see that they didn't have much of an idea on what was happening either.

"Alright then so what's this creature you mentioned?" Ichigo asked.

"It is currently being held in the SRDI, however it's broken through several of the restraints and Kido spells that we had placed on it. From what we have learnt so far it has no weaknesses." Mayuri told him. "It's a marvellous creature, standing at fifteen meters, it's body radiates extreme measures of heat, it burns just to touch it's skin. From what I have seen it has no intelligence to speak of, it's a dumb as one of the members from squad eleven, however that might be insulting the creature." Zaraki simply scoffed not even bothering to retort to the mad scientist. "It was indeed Kisuke Urahara who made us aware of the anomaly that is the creature, where Kisuke obtained such a thing is beyond us."

"Then shouldn't you be asking him for help?" Ichigo questioned. "If he's aware of what the creature is shouldn't he know how to deal with it?"

"Yes that would be the correct measure... however." Yamamoto started. "Kisuke Urahara has gone missing. Several members of the stealth force under Yoruichi Shihouin guidance searched throughout the entire store and underground basement for any signs, yet they only found one note." The head Captain reached into his haori and producing the letter before offering it to Ichigo. Ichigo walked up and took the letter and opened it reading over it's contents.

"Ichigo what's it say?" Rukia asked noticing the scowl growing on Ichigo's face. He looked up from the letter and handed it to Rukia who read it out loud to herself.

"To those of you worried about the one and only Kisuke Urahara, should not be. I've trifled in dimensional travel once before, however got no where in it until the discovery of the dimension of which the creature now lurking in my training grounds came from. No doubt my former associate has tried all manners of tests on it, I did the same and came up with nothing. From what I can tell it is practically all but invincible. I leave this note for those closet to me, Yoruichi, Isshin, Tessai and Ichigo. I left to find out more about these creatures, to see if they were a threat to us at all... goodbye." Rukia finished folding the paper back up.

"So, where did he go?" Ichigo asked looking over the faces of the captains.

"I believe I can answer that." Mayuri grinned. "I was allowed by that nuisance of a cat to look through Kisuke's files, computers. I may have found a way to open the same dimensional rift that he had used. However, there is a slight problem with the theory, according to his notes, Kisuke used a special type of gigai to enter the rift unharmed. If I were allowed to investigate further then I may be able to find such a device and recreate it."

"Then why haven't you?" Ichigo asked him. "The sooner we find Kisuke the sooner we get this mess sorted out." Mayuri looked at him for a few seconds before turning to Head Captain who was eyeing the substitute soul reaper.

"You're willing to participate in this retrieval mission of Kisuke Urahara?" Yamamoto questioned. "We have no idea what is on the other side. WE have no knowing of how you will be getting back or where Kisuke is. It may even be possible that you will never find Kisuke."

"It's a chance I'm going to have to take." Ichigo told him. "He'd do the same if the situation was reversed."

"I'm not letting you go off to some random dimension on your own." Rukia huffed next to him. "Who knows what trouble you'd get into, look at what happened when you went to Hueco Mundo."

"Hey! That wasn't my fault." Ichigo told her. "How was I suppose to know Nel was an Arrancar?"

"Uh the mask on her head maybe?" She smirked at him.

"It was years ago!" Ichigo growled down to her.

"Either way I'm not letting you go alone." She shrugged. "You're stuck with me Ichigo."

"Lucky me." He sighed before Rukia punched him in the arm.

"Ass."

"How long will the gigai's take to make?" Byakuya questioned. "Would it not be beneficial to get them created straight away?" All watched as an amused smirk crossed Mayuri's face.

"Who said I haven't already created them?" He asked. "I may have been forbidden to not make any decisions on Kisuke's work but I was sure the enigma that is this Substitute, would want to go after his friend. Therefore I had Nemu hack into Kisuke's computers and start making them. I'll have the dimensional gate open within the hour."

"The matter of you disobey direct orders shall be discussed later." Yamamoto said. "However, it is good that these orders have been disobey or we could have been waiting an amount of time that could have been crucial. Ichigo, Rukia prepare for your departure in an hour. Mayuri you have the full disposal of the Gotei Thirteen to open the dimensional rift."

"Tch, stay out of the way." He got out as he started to leave the meeting hall.

X-X

Ichigo and Rukia stared down at the two gigai before them, from what they could tell they didn't look any different from a regular gigai but Mayuri had told them that they were very different. How? They didn't know.

"I guess we should get this over with." Rukia sighed and stepping over to her gigai before fading into it. Ichigo watched as her eyes shot wide open and she sat up abruptly gripping her chest and dry heaving as if she hadn't breathed in days.

"Rukia?" Ichigo questioned, already by her side. "Is everything alright?" He asked but didn't get a response and both watched as Sode No Shirayuki materialised at her waist, sheath and all. Both couldn't believe that it was happening. Rukia stared wide eyed down at her Zanpakuto that had somehow materialised on it's own. "How's that possible?"

"I have no idea, as soon as I entered the gigai... I felt different... I've never felt like this before, not that I can remember... but if feels oddly familiar." Ichigo glanced over at his gigai before sighing and walking over to it. He looked down at it before sinking into it. Unlike Rukia, he had no effects and he simply sat up, that was when he felt the weight on his back as Zangetsu materialised. "Feel any different?" She asked as she watched him reach up and grab the hilt of Zangetsu.

"No, none..." Ichigo told her stepping off the table. "I feel as if I'm in my human body." He told her making her frown, wandering why she had such a reaction to entering the strange gigai. The doors opened and one of Mayuri's underlings walked in.

"The dimensional gate is open and ready for you two." He said getting a nod from Rukia he left. She looked up at Ichigo who ran a hand through his hair.

"Well, let's go get this damn candy store owner back to his shop." Ichigo told her making her smirk.

"Right let's go." As the two exited the lab and headed for the courtyard where the gate would be opening they were surprised to see all the captains waiting for them, along with the lieutenants. Behind the head Captain was what only could be described as a swirling vortex of energy. Off to the side Mayuri could be seen at a terminal, checking the status of the vortex and barking orders at his subordinates. Ukitake and Byakuya were standing either side of the Head Captain.

"Be safe out there, Rukia, Ichigo." Ukitake smiled at them. "Come home safe. We'll be waiting."

"Thank you Captain." Rukia bowed her head.

"Once we find Kisuke we'll get back here and report on what we find." Ichigo told Yamamoto which he nodded to.

"Rukia..." Byakuya stated. "Remember your training, and honour our clan."

"Of course Brother." Rukia bowed once more.

"Also take care of the insolent brat." Ichigo's eyebrow twitched in annoyance as he glared at Rukia's older brother.

"Bite me!" Ichigo hissed at him from behind his teeth. Rukia sighed before nodding her head, never knowing why the two were always exchanging such banter with one another.

"Let's just go!" Rukia told him. The two stepped forward before the vortex slightly weary of the deep abyss before them.

"Well go on!" Mayuri snapped. "The longer you stand there the longer I have to keep it open! Move it!" He barked at them. Rukia and Ichigo exchanged a glance before walking into the abyss, not knowing what horrors would await them on the other side.


	2. Chapter 2

Ichigo was the first to step out onto the grassy plain. Rukia quickly followed and was only a step behind, both looked around and could tell that it was late at night as the moon was high in the sky. The two looked back into the vortex that had led them to this dimension before it abruptly closed just as if it had never been there, the only evidence that it had been there was the light burns on the earth where it had opened. Ichigo sighed and rolled his shoulder letting a yawn escape him.

"Man, that took a lot out of me." Ichigo told her placing his hands in his pockets.

"You're telling me, this gigai feels wrong." Rukia told him rolling her shoulders. "Anyway we don't have the luxury of screwing about, let's find Kisuke already." Ichigo nodded his head and looked around, neither could see anything.

"Where the hell do we start exactly?" Ichigo questioned still looking around. "I can't sense him anywhere..."

"Neither can I." Rukia mused.

"Great, we have no idea where the hell Kisuke is, no idea where to even start looking for him and as far as I can tell there aren't any people in sight. Couldn't ask for better odds." Ichigo sighed raising a hand up and through his hair. "Any ideas?" He asked the petite soul reaper next to him.

"I think the best course of action would be to wait till morning. From there we will be able to determine if there is any civilisation nearby, I can't sense any but that doesn't mean that there isn't anything near by." Ichigo nodded his head and began walking. "Where are you going?"

"I spotted a tree off this way, if there are creatures like the one Kisuke found in this dimension then we should keep an eye out for any more of them. You heard what Mayuri said, it killed a dozen if not more of Soi-fon's squad. We climb a tree and then keep watch, I'll take first and then in a few hours I'll wake you up and then you can take the next."

"Sound's like a plan. Since when did you think these things through?" She asked walking in step beside him. "The old you would have shouted in rage and tried to find the closest thing and beat the information out of it." Ichigo looked down at her from the corner of his eye to see her smirking.

"You're a regular comedian." Ichigo scoffed.

"I have been doing stand up for the Soul Society Woman's Association." Rukia smirked in triumph once more.

"Of course you have." Ichigo mumbled as they reached the tree. They took one last look around before climbing up into the higher branches and situating themselves so that they wouldn't fall out. Ichigo leant back against the trunk, one leg pulled him to his chest while the other hung down from the branch. Rukia was on a lower branch in much the same position her eyes already closed.

Ichigo looked out into the night sky and he found something odd about it, after a while he figured what it was. From the ground to a certain height, there were no stars, then from nothing the sky was filled with the bright lights of the stars.

_"__What ever that is, I'll probably see it __when the sun comes up__."_ He thought to himself as he set about his first watch of the night.

X-X

Rukia watched over the horizon as the sun rose and she was at first surprised at the sight of the gigantic wall as far as the eye could see. It reminded her of the walls that surrounded the Seretei. However she had the odd feeling they were there to keep what ever was on the outside, out and on the inside in... she just didn't know if they were inside the walls or outside. She looked up to Ichigo to see him still sleeping. She rose to a standing position on the branch and looked out across the fields and could see a small town not to far away.

"Ichigo wake up." Rukia said hitting him in the side. With a grunt of annoyance he woke up and rubbed at his eyes. He yawned once before pushing himself up from the branch he was sitting on and stretched his arms out. "I saw a town not to fare from here, its at the bottom of the wall."

"Wall?" Ichigo asked looking down at her. She simply pointed off into the distance and Ichigo followed the direction she was putting in and his eyes widened slightly as he saw the massive structure that led in both directions as far as they eye could see. "So that's what it was." He said in awe at the sheer size of it. "I noticed something last night but couldn't make it out, must have been the wall." He explained and she nodded her head.

"Let's go." Ichigo nodded and both jumped down out of the foliage of the trees and down onto the ground.

"Man I'm hungry." Ichigo grumbled out.

"Now that you mention it, we came quite unprepared. We have no food, we don't know the currency so we have no way of actually getting food and we can't even be sure that we will even be speaking the same language. Anyway, there is no point whining about it now, let's just go." Ichigo sighed but nodded regardless and the two started the long trek towards the small village at the foot of the wall. As they walked they noticed several farms off in the area with people already tending to their work among the fields.

When they reached the outskirts of what they had thought would be a small village they immediately noticed the large gate in the wall that was open, people passing through it, markets were bustling with wares and merchants were going about promoting their stock.

What both noticed was that the lack of anything scientific, it looked as if everything was back in the dark ages. Even though the Soul Society showed much the same, technology could be replaced with anything spiritual such as the communication through the hell butterflies. As they walked through town they barely got looks from anyone, the only looks they got were from curious children wandering about their swords.

"How high do you think that wall is?" Ichigo asked looking up at the wall which he could now see was mounted with cannons.

"Does it matter?" Rukia questioned looking around, annoyed and hungry. "We have other matters to deal with. First we need food." Ichigo's own stomach growled at the thought of food making him groan slightly.

"And how do you plan on that? We have no money. It's not like anyone's going to give us food." Ichigo told her.

"I was in the Rukon District, I learnt a few things from time to time." She told him with a grin before it turned into a frown. "Although that was over a hundred years ago... it may take a few tries. I might need a distraction." She said shooting a glance up at him.

"You mean steal it?" Ichigo asked surprised. "Oh how the Kuchiki clan has fallen, what would Byakuya say." He smirked down at her making her eye twitch in annoyance.

"It's that or starve!" She hissed up at him. "Are you going to give me a distraction or what?" She asked him making him sigh. "Nothing big, just enough to gain that man's attention." She said pointing over to a merchant who was calling out customers out of the growing crowds trying to sell his wares. Ichigo pulled Zangetsu from his back and handed the large blade to Rukia.

"If I cause a distraction with a big ass blade on my back, questions are going to be asked. Put Sode no Shirayuki and Zangetsu in an alley, somewhere no one will find them. We'll meet up there after the commotion has calmed down." Ichigo explained as he noticed her questioning gaze. Rukia nodded taking the large blade and hoisting it over her shoulder like Ichigo would when drawing it.

Rukia walked off into a near by alley while Ichigo walked over and leaned up against a wall opposite of the man who Rukia was about to steal from. When he saw Rukia walk out of the alley he pushed himself off the wall and walked over to the stall, looking over the food that lay out for display.

"Oh hello young man what can I get you!?" The man cheered. "Finest food inside wall Maria! You'll find nothing more delicious then what you find here! So what will it be?" Ichigo looked over the assortment of foods and was glad that the growing crowd was making enough noise to drown it out. He reached out and grabbed an apple and tossed it in the air before catching it once more and took a bite out of it and he watched the merchant's eyes widened momentarily before a smile came back to his face, that was before he saw the disgusted look on Ichigo's face. Ichigo reared back before spitting the chunk of apple into the man's face.

"That's absolutely disgusting!" Ichigo roared turning around. "Don't trust this man's stock! It's nothing but crap!" He turned back to the merchant who was glaring at him. "Got something to say old man?" Ichigo asked taking another bite out of the apple. "You stall should be shut down for the crap you're selling." That was the last straw as the man jumped over his stall trying to grab at Ichigo all the while shouting in his rage. Ichigo stepped back making the man land on his face.

"That was a piss pour effort, want to get up and try again?" Ichigo asked crouching down already seeing Rukia move in for the steal. The man pushed himself up and charged at Ichigo again who slid out of the way making the man crash into a set of barrels and crates beside a building. Ichigo looked over his shoulder to see Rukia already with an arm full of food, he sighed before straitening up. "Well I guess I'll be seeing you." He said turning around.

"Guards!" The merchant shouted making Ichigo look over his shoulder to see several men dressed in uniforms with a tan jacket with an insignia on each shoulder of a shield with two roses also having large mechanical devices on their thighs and were standing in a formation that would block Ichigo's escape.

"You there! Halt what you're doing!" A man with blonde hair shouted and Ichigo could see the small moustache growing underneath his nose. "You are under arrest!"

"For what?" Ichigo mocked him. "Telling the truth? He's the one that attacked me. I did nothing but take two bites out of an apple." The man narrowed his eyes at the Merchant who was picking himself up from the mess he had ran into. "I do believe I'm not at fault here." Ichigo told them folding his arms behind his head.

"I saw that girl!" The merchant shouted making Ichigo groan slightly. "The damn thief that stole the food! You're her accomplice! Get him!" Ichigo cursed under his breath and turned only to see more guards blocking his path. Thinking quickly Ichigo dashed into an alley making the guards shout and start to pursue him.

"_Damn, I got to lose these guys and find Rukia." _Ichigo growled to himself as he jumped over a set of crates tumbling them over as he did so, he looked over his shoulder to see the blonde guard jump over the obstacle making him groan. _"What the hell type of guards are these!"_ Ichigo groaned out increasing his speed and dashing out of the alley and out into the busy street. Tumbling slightly as he bumped into a few people setting him off balance he turned and started to run down the street.

"Stop him!" He heard the guard shout making Ichigo groan again. He dashed around the corner and narrowed his eyes as he saw the guards on the rooftops running a head of him.

"_How the hell did they get up there."_ Ichigo thought as he continued to run down the street dodging people as he went. Seeing the direction the guards on the rooftops were taking he took a left down another small side street only to skid to a stop as he saw the same blonde man that had been chasing him standing there with five other guards, Ichigo was wandering how the hell he had gotten infront of him.

"There is no where to run! We have you completely surrounded." The man called out to him.

"All this over some damn food?" Ichigo questioned as he heard several thuds from behind him telling him that guards had jumped down to block his exit off. He looked up to see more guards lining the rooftops staring down at him. "Man all this over an arm full of food because we were starving? You got nothing better to do?" He questioned.

"The walls haven't been breached in over a hundred years." The blonde man shrugged. "We have to keep our skills up somehow, chasing down crooks such as yourself keeps us busy." The man smiled. "So just turn yourself in, give us any information on you accomplice and we'll see about your jail time." Ichigo sighed and looked over all the guards surrounding him, that's when he saw Rukia simply sitting on a crate with an amused expression eating a loaf of bread.

"_That son __on of a bitch."_ Ichigo growled as she smirked at him with a slight wave. Ichigo looked over the guards once more before disappearing in a shunpo making the guards stare in shock at the spot Ichigo had just been in.


	3. Chapter 3

"You're a bitch you know that." Ichigo growled out as he saw Rukia sitting on a crate as he dropped down from the roof above, Zangetsu beside her and Sode No Shirayuki once again attached to her waist.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Rukia mocked him with a slight smirk. "You got caught because you're an idiot." She shrugged.

"You were the one who told me to make a distraction! He saw you stealing the damn food!" Ichigo shouted kicking the crate out from underneath her making her land on her ass on the ground with an 'oof' making her narrow her eyes as she stared up at him before pushing herself up from the ground.

"That's not possible, I was doing things like this before you were born." Rukia scowled at him. "It's your own damn fault. Don't blame it on me you ass."

"Yeah well the life of the Soul Reaper has dulled your talents!" Ichigo growled. "Now where is the damn food I'm hungry." Rukia sighed and reached down next to her holding out a small bag, where she got the bag from Ichigo didn't know but at the moment he didn't care he was hungry. He grabbed the bag and opened it looking through the assortment of food.

"You better not eat it all!" Rukia growled at him. "We're going to need it, we don't know if we have to leave this town soon and if we do we don't know how far away the next is, so we have to ration it out." Ichigo sighed but nodded his head pulling out the other half of the loaf of bread he had seen Rukia eating earlier before handing the bag back to her. Ichigo leaned against the wall and crouched down next to Zangetsu as he ate pieces of the bread, his mind filled with thoughts on how they were going to find Kisuke, he was pretty sure if Kisuke didn't want to be found, he wouldn't' be.

"What now?" Ichigo asked. "Where do we start from here?" He questioned looking up at Rukia who was once again sitting on the crate that Ichigo had kicked out from under her having re positioned it. She looked up to the sky and frowned slightly.

"Ask around, if there isn't anything here we move on. Though that may take us longer then it sounds. This is just a small town, while you were running from the guards I had a talk with a lady about the area, apparently that big wall there." She gestured to the massive structure. "Is Wall Maria."

"Yeah the merchant said something about that." Ichigo nodded in agreement before stuffing another piece of bread into his mouth.

"The gate just south of here opens up into a large complex that's more on the outside of the wall, it's the Shiganshina District." Ichigo nodded in understanding. "Everything all right?" She asked noticing his lack of response.

"It's just something one of the guards said... he told me the walls haven't been breached in over a hundred years." Ichigo explained to her.

"I heard him say the same thing." Rukia agreed. "What do you think he was talking about?"

"Maybe one of the creatures Kisuke found?" Ichigo mused over. "There is only one way to find out about that." Rukia turned to him to see him looking upwards. "We go to the top of the wall." He suggested.

"I'm sure it's guarded." Rukia told him turning her attention to the large structure as well.

"Look at the size of that thing, I'm sure there are places that aren't guarded." Ichigo told her.

"Well before we go on a little adventure let's just ask around for Kisuke first alright?" Ichigo nodded and pushed himself up from the ground. "You have to be careful now, guards will be looking around for someone with orange hair who has the knack of disappearing into thin air."

"It was that or I get sent to jail." Ichigo told her. "I didn't see you helping me out." Rukia simply shrugged.

"Either way, we shouldn't show our powers so carelessly, the last thing we need is some sought of witch hunt on us." She told him to which he nodded.

"Agreed." He finished as he stuffed the last of the loaf of bread into his mouth and stood back up dusting himself off. "So, you get to ask the questions." He grinned. "I can't simply go about asking people, guards are looking for me." Rukia scoffed in annoyance.

"You'd probably just start a fight with someone anyway, it's better if I do all the talking. You just remain silent and try to act as inconspicuous as you can." Rukia told him making Ichigo's eye twitch in annoyance. "Anyway, let's get moving. We're starting on the far side of Shiganshina, that way we don't have to backtrack that much." Ichigo shrugged as Rukia walked out of the alley, Ichigo grabbed the bag of food before grabbing Zangetsu and placing the Zanpakuto on his back before walking out of the alley after Rukia and into the busy street.

As they walked they kept sure to keep an eye out for Kisuke, knowing there luck they wouldn't just randomly see him but they kept an eye out just encase they caught a glimpse of the ex-captain. As they walked down the streets towards the large gate they heard idle chatter about the 'last scouting team to head out' something to do with a group that had left the confines of the walls to help humanity, or that was what the two had picked up. When they saw the gate Ichigo stopped and groaned.

"What is it?" Rukia asked him. "There's the gate, let's go already."

"Idiot, look who's guarding it. It's the same guard as who was chasing after me." Ichigo said pointing to the blonde man who was talking to two kids, a boy and a girl who both had stacks of wood on their backs.

"I blame you for being such an idiot, I told you to make a distraction not get the attention of the guards!" Rukia huffed out.

"If you hadn't gotten spotted none of this would have happened in the first place! I would have gotten a slap on the wrist and everything would have been fine!" Ichigo growled back at her. Both sighed in annoyance as they turned back to the guard that was now being shouted at by the young boy before the two children walked off.

"Well, I can simply walk on by, I'll see you on the other side."

"You're shitting me right?" Ichigo questioned but Rukia was already heading towards the gate making Ichigo growl under his breath as he watched Rukia simply wave to the guards who gave cat calls as she walked through without any sign of being stopped. Ichigo sighed before looking around before using shunpo to the rooftop nearest the gate.

He glanced up to the top of the wall judging the distance before looking back down to the gate, he sighed before using shunpo and appearing before the blonde guard making him jump in shock at the presence standing before him.

"You're breath reeks of alcohol, how do you do your duty?" Ichigo questioned making the guard narrow his eyes.

"Apprehend him men!" He ordered by Ichigo was gone before he had finished his sentence. "Damn it! Search everywhere for him!" Ichigo heard the guard shout out as he appeared on a rooftop not far from the gate. He looked down into the street to see Rukia looking up at him. With a shrug Ichigo continued to walk along the rooftops completely forgoing into the street below. He looked up to the wall and frowned.

"It's like they're trying to keep out King Kong or something." He crouched down on the corner of the building and looked out over the village within the walls. Smoke rose from most chimneys and Ichigo noted that it had been cold during the night and even the early morning and it was only starting to warm up now. _"__Damn it Kisuke where are you?"_ He thought before he saw Rukia walking down the street again.

He stood up and leapt over the gap between buildings and continued to walk after her, what better way to stay out of sight then not being in sight at all? He watched from the rooftops as Rukia went about asking people and he was getting bored, he wanted to go up to the top of the wall already.

It was now mid afternoon and from what Ichigo could tell Rukia hadn't been successful at all trying to find any information on Kisuke. She landed on the rooftop next to him where he was laying down and sighed in annoyance.

"I'm down there working my ass off and you're up here looking at the clouds?" She asked in irritation.

"You were the one who told me to keep out of it." Ichigo shrugged. "Plus I've been looking for Kisuke, where your short height won't allow you to see I can." He smirked before Rukia's foot planted itself in his side making him groan.

"Did you see the garrison walk through?" She questioned sitting beside him.

"Yeah, that was pretty gruesome." Ichigo nodded. "Looked like they went to hell and back."

"I spoke with a few people, they left only a few days ago and had six times the men that they came back with." Rukia shook her head. "What ever is out there, it's eradicating human life in this world." Rukia continued. "Kisuke must know something about all this... otherwise why would he have come here?"

"Perhaps I wanted to set up a candy shop?" A voice behind them questioned making them both whirl around to see Kisuke standing, cane in hand fan waving in front of his face. "It's been a while you two." He told them.

"Kisuke! What the hell!" Ichigo shouted getting to his feet. "We've spent the last couple of hours looking everywhere for you!"

"I know." Kisuke laughed pulling the fan away from his face, the stumble that was usually on his chin actually forming an actual beard. "Ah it's been so long since I've seen a familiar face. Three months in fact."

"What?" Rukia asked. "You've only been gone for a few days." She told him. "What are you talking about? Months."

"It's been months my dear." Kisuke told her. "Time here... it travels faster then back home. I'm now sure of that." He explained, they watched he drifted off in his thoughts.

"Who cares about that now?" Ichigo muttered. "We're going home, open the damn portal gate vortexy thing and let's go." Kisuke shook his head. "What? Damn it Kisuke!"

"I can't." His defeated tone made them both stop. "I can't open the gate home, I've tried... it's not like I haven't been trying to get back. I brought several devices with me so that I could open the gate back but they stopped working as soon as I entered this world." He shook his head. "I left strict instructions with Yoruichi not to let Mayuri touch any of my stuff, what happened? How did you get here?" He questioned. Both couldn't answer him, if what he was saying was true. They were stuck here.


	4. Chapter 4

Kisuke and Rukia watched as Ichigo sat on the roof, his back to them Zangetsu resting across his lap. He had been like that for over an hour now, whenever either had tried to approach him they had been struck by his strong reiatsu, they had been shocked at how controlled it was. Not even the finest of captains could make their very reiatsu attack someone, not like Ichigo had.

Kisuke had sensed when Ichigo had retreated into his inner world, however that didn't stop him from trying to reach the teen. Ichigo needed to know of the situation they were in, retreating away from the facts wasn't going to do anything, nor conversing with Zangetsu. He needed to know that there was no way home. He glanced down at Rukia who had a worried look on her face.

"Rukia." Kisuke started making the young Kuchiki glance up at him. "There are a lot of things that neither of you probably don't understand. I have answers to some of your questions but not all of them." He continued, his cane tapping in the ground as he paced the rooftop, his hand idly rubbing his chin trying to find a place where to start. "This world... it's dangerous, to humans and Soul Reapers alike. The beasts... the Titans."

"Titans?" Rukia questioned making Kisuke nod.

"It's what the humans here call the large humanoid beasts, like the one found in my underground training basement." Rukia nodded her head in understanding. "The Titan's aren't killing the humans out of the need of food, no." He shook his head. "The titans are exterminating humans. From what I have gathered here, the Titan's don't need to eat, they're practically immortal." Rukia frowned hard at hearing that. "There is a way to kill a Titan however."

"How?" Rukia questioned.

"The na-!" A ear echoing explosion sounded out making both Kisuke and Rukia look around as the building shook beneath them making the two grab each other for support before their eyes opened wide in shock as they stared at the wall surrounding one of humanity's last civilisations in this world. A massive red hand lay perched upon the wall, smoke raising from behind the wall where the hand lay.

Even from so far back from the wall, both could hear the crunch of concrete under the massive hand as the massive Titan rose it's head above the wall. Rukia stared horrified up at the skinless giant, she had fought monsters in Hueco Mundo, yet nothing she had seen had been like this, it's teeth and muscles were visible from even how far back they were standing. It's head rose high above the wall, it just seemingly watched the entirety of the town for a few moments.

"What the hell is that?" Ichigo's voice brought them both from their stupor as they turned and saw Ichigo with wide eyes staring up at the Titan standing behind the wall.

"That." Kisuke began shaking his head as he tilted his hat forward to shadow his eyes. "Is the end of humanity." Both Ichigo and Rukia stared at Kisuke with wide eyes before turning their attention back to the Titan beyond the wall to see it leaning forward.

"It's going to destroy the gate!" Rukia shouted out in shock.

"Their is nothing we can do to stop it." Kisuke told them. "Evacuate everyone that you can, kill any Titan that comes within the walls." Both stared at Kisuke with wide eyes. "Do it now! Move!" Rukia and Ichigo shared a glance before nodding, as they dashed off into different directions Kisuke's eyebrows furrowed, his hands shaking slightly before clenching his hands into fist gaining his resolve once more. "I'm sorry for what you two are about to witness." He said softly into the wind. "And what these gigai's are capable of turning into."

X-X

"Rukia! Head over to the gate! I'm going to check the east." Ichigo called out to her making the raven haired girl look over to Ichigo to see him already turning off in the direction that he had spoken of.

"Right!" Rukia called out not even sure if Ichigo could hear her, before using shunpo to increase her speed. The screams of the people under her were none of her concern, she wanted to get to the gate, make sure everyone that could evacuate was able to. She sped across the rooftops, aware of the towering figures already entering in through the gate, having poured into the streets around her. Her grip on her Zanpakuto tightened as she calmed herself. When she stopped on a building not far from the gate her eyes opened in shock, the entire gate was destroyed, from the blackness several figures could be seen emerging.

As she stopped, the screams became clearer making her look back over what she had only skimmed over when moving at such high speeds. The entire area radiated death and destruction. From where she was perched atop of the building she could see several Titans feasting upon bodies of the less fortunate, none were spared, men, women, children... none of them. Rukia looked over the ruined buildings, towering figures could be seen off in the distance as she pulled Sode No Shirayuki from her sheath, the blade glimmering in the afternoon rays of the sun.

"_There is a way to kill them... I wish Kisuke would have explained how before sending us off like this."_ She thought to herself as a Titan turned it's attention to her. Her eyes narrowed as she brandished her Zanpakuto and sliced off the incoming fingers that reached for her as she twirled to the side before the fingers grew back quicker then any hollow's instant regeneration. Her eyes widened in shock as the same hand reached for her and she jumped off the building she was on to one opposite of the street. The Titan looked over the rooftop before looking over it's shoulder to see Rukia holding her hand up, her Zanpakuto sheathed.

"Hado #33 Sokatsui!" She called out as the blue burst of reiatsu launched at the back of the Titan's head sending it crashing into the building in front of it. Rukia watched as the smoke cleared and saw that the back of the Titan's skull had erupted upon impact of the kido spell and was slowly knitting back together.

_"__Damn it! What is the weakness to these things!"_ She growled to herself before jumping into the sky high above the collapsed Titan. "Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! On the wall of blue flame, inscribe a twin lotus. In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens. Hado #73 Soren Sokatsui!" Rukia thrust both of her hands out, pushing the gathered energy forward toward the Titan. Twin bursts of the refined Sokatsui launched down at the Titan with incredible speed before causing a massive explosion beneath Rukia.

As the smoke cleared from her Kido she watched as the Titan lay still, it's body emitting immense heat as it began to disintegrate. She floated down to the rooftop and could feel the heat coming from the body even from high above it, as she tried to find anything that could of told her what had killed it but her Kido had been to vast, the disintegration and the blast were all mixed into one. She couldn't find where she had struck the Titan to know how to kill them efficiently.

Raising her head to look over the destruction that the Titan's had caused she frowned as she saw dozens of Titan's moving towards the gate where she had walked through earlier in the day. She felt a massive burst of Reiatsu and saw three Titan's in a row fall down before she saw Ichigo jump high above the buildings, set on a destination.

She looked around and saw more Titan's flooding in by the broken gate before launching herself in Ichigo's direction. They couldn't do anything to help these people until they knew how to kill the Titans. They'd only slow the Titan's down, not stop them completely.

X-X

"Raaah!" Ichigo hefted Zangetsu straight through a leg of a fifteen meter class Titan sending it toppling to the side as it became unbalanced at the loss of it's lim. Ichigo flying forward at incredible speeds slicing through the gut of another fifteen meter class Titan as it reached forward to grab him but was too slow. It's lower half stumbling backwards as the top half fell forward and collided with the ground.

Ichigo didn't stop as he made his way for the third Titan in his path, slicing through the right arm as it reached out for him before slicing it diagonally in half from shoulder to hip, blood spraying across the street as the lower half of the body slumped down the upper half slid to the side, crashing into the building to it's left.

Not stopping to look back at the three Titan's he had disabled, knowing he hadn't killed them, he had sent a Getsuga straight at one earlier and watched as it had pulled itself back together. Mayuri hadn't been kidding when he said he didn't know how to kill one of them. But his mind wasn't on what Mayuri had told him, no it was on the two kids he had seen running off into the streets, not in the direction of the gate.

He needed to get to them soon. Increasing his speed even more he flew above the rooftops and spotted the two kids at a crumbled down building, a piece of debris having smashed into the house after the main gate had been destroyed. He sped towards them noticing a Titan closing in on them. Landing behind them caused an uproar of wind from the sheer speed he had descended at and his eyes opened wide as he saw the woman beneath the house, obviously trapped while the two children were trying to rescue her.

The woman looked up at him with wide eyes as the kids looked over their shoulders at him wandering who he was. The entire cleaver he held in his hands was coated red, most of Ichigo himself was coated in blood just as Zangetsu was.

"Please!" The woman cried. "Take them away from here!" She cried out to him as he simply stood there not knowing what to do. If he took them away, it could very well be the last time they saw her. Tightening his grip on Zangetsu he quickly placed the massive blade on his back before dashing forward to the house.

"Move!" He ordered both kids making the step to the side at the authority in his voice. He knelt beside the woman and gripped the rafters of the roof that were apart of the interior of the house. He lifted and both children watched as it moved further then anything they had been able to move it. _"Damn it! I can't lift it in this __gigai__! __Zangetsu__! Help! __Anything will do just help me save her!"_

"_**Ichigo, her legs are crushed, she won't live without proper treatment. Save the children and go." **_Zangetsu's calm voice came back to him, but he didn't heed Zangetsu's advice as he continued to lift the roof. _**"Ichigo!" **_Zangetsu shouted at him but Ichigo continued to ignore him.

"Damn it!" Ichigo roared forcing himself to lift the roof another few inchs, his body visibly shaking underneath the weight and strength he was using. "Hollow, damn it! Give me everything you got!" Ichigo roared at the top of his lungs.

"**As you wish King."** Ichigo's eyes turned black and gold as his body was filled with his hollow's reiatsu, the roof coming up as Ichigo continued to lift it with the strength his hollow was giving him. The two children watched as this man covered in blood lifted the roof off of their mother.

"Get her out!" Ichigo shouted, the girl immediately running to her mother's side, the boy not far after as they both pulled their mother from the confines of what was once their house, before Ichigo let it drop back down with a crash. Turing he saw Rukia land on the ground, sword drawn ready for anything, the way she had seen Ichigo flying at high speeds had her on edge. "Rukia, get them out of here."

"What about you?" Rukia questioned, already walking forward to the three huddled on the ground, to see the woman's legs heavily damaged. A loud crash brought her eyes to a Titan not far from them approaching the small group. She cursed under her breath slightly as she saw Ichigo grab the blood covered cleaver from his back before swinging it spraying the ground with blood from his sword. "I'm going to find a way to kill these bastards."

"The nape of the neck!" A shout came down making both Rukia and Ichigo look up to see the same blonde guard that had been chasing Ichigo, jump down from a building a wire stabilizing him as he did so, the contraption's on his legs working like a zip line as the wires retracted into the devices. "The weakness to all Titan is the nape of the neck, how you don't know that I'm not sure."

"That's what Kisuke was trying to tell me before the attack. No wonder my Kido killed the Titan after I hit it from behind." Rukia said to Ichigo, shocking the four others present, this girl had killed a Titan?

"Rukia, get them to safety, you too." Ichigo said turning to Hannes. "I'll deal with the Titan right here, head for the gate. Rukia heal that woman's legs as soon as possible, it won't be like Orihime's healing, but it will be better if she gets some healing before long." Rukia nodded her head in agreement.

"Right, get to the gate as soon as possible. I doubt Kisuke is going to let any through." Ichigo nodded in agreement as he walked to the centre of the street, heaving Zangetsu on his shoulder as he looked up at the approaching Titan. "I better see you at that gate Ichigo!" She shouted picking the woman up. "Oi! Stop lolly-gagging and get those kids to safety! You're a soldier aren't you! Protect them!" She shouted at him.

Hannes turned to Rukia with wide eyes, he'd never thought to be ordered around like this, especially from what he had thought to be a civilian. He glanced at Ichigo to see him standing tall in front of the approaching Titan without fear. Something he wouldn't of been able to do. He turned back to Rukia and nodded as he pulled both children under his arms and began to run down the street beside Rukia.

"Carla, I'm glad that you're safe." Hannes said to the woman who was crying in Rukia's arms. As they ran down the street they heard a war cry, one all to familiar to Rukia's ears.

"Getsuga Tensho!"


	5. Chapter 5

Rukia continued to run at a steady pace, still ahead of Hannes even though she was carrying a full grown woman in her petite arms while he only held two small children in his own. It was easily said that even in this gigai she had a lot more stamina then the man did. She frowned slightly as she saw the woman's legs and stopped, Hannes stopping behind her.

"What is it?" He questioned walking forward. "Is it a Titan?" He asked looking up to the rooftops, seeing if he could see any sign of the beasts.

"No, I have to heal her legs the best I can for now." Rukia told him laying Carla down against a stone, she whimpered slightly as Rukia laid her legs out straight, her bones having been crushed from beneath the house.

"Is Mum going to be ok?" Eren asked walking forward but Hannes stopped him and crouched down next to Rukia who was doing her best to survey the legs and to see the extent of the damage. Hannes looked into Rukia's face to see her expression full of determination, her eyes calm and focused on her task.

"_How is she so calm in a situation like this?"_ Hannes thought to himself. He looked to Mikasa and Eren to see them staring at Carla with worried expression's on their faces. He looked behind him to see where they had come from. _"That boy's more then likely already dead, that Titan will be coming after us soon."_ He continued before he was pushed to the ground and landed on his ass, he looked up to see Rukia moving to Carla's other side.

"You're in the way." She growled before placing her hands above Carla's legs before her hands started to grow green making Hannes eyes widen. "Now keep quiet, if I mess up she may never be able to walk again." Rukia told him. "I'll do what I can for now but I'll have to do more later when we're safe." Hannes didn't say anything as he saw some of the cuts on Carla's leg begin to close. He had never seen anything like this before. _"Damn it, if I was better at healing Kido this wouldn't take so long."_ She growled to herself. _"If only Orihime was here, this would be done in an instant."_

"What's she doing?" Eren asked noticing the slightly green glow from Rukia's hands.

"She's helping your mother." Hannes said turning to the two children. "Now why on earth did you run into that mess?" He asked him.

"I wanted to make sure Mum was safe!" Eren shouted at him. "We would have died if that guy didn't show up." Hannes frowned, he remembered seeing the orange haired teen earlier in the day, having caused an uproar with a local merchant. If he did survive somehow, he would have to give him his thanks and if he didn't... he'd always be remembered by these three. He knew that for sure.

"How are you feeling?" Rukia questioned as she noticed Carla had been quiet for some time, when she had barked at Hannes to keep quiet that was just so she could get her thoughts together on what was going on, there was no way she couldn't heal Carla's legs, she'd be fine after a few more teatments.

"My legs are numb." Carla told her. "How are you doing this?" She questioned making Rukia give a slight smirk.

"Trust me, after all this is over with. I don't want to be chased down because of a witch hunt." She chuckled lightly making Carla smile at her.

"I'd never give up the person who helped me." Rukia simply smiled, knowing that this woman had good intentions. "That boy... who was he?" She questioned remembering how he had lifted the roof off of her on his own, his shouts of annoyance were unclear to her, it was almost as if he was asking someone to help him lift the roof off of her.

"Ichigo Kurosaki." Rukia told her. "He's a good friend of mine, he'll be at the gate along with another friend." She continued, she couldn't sense Kisuke but knew for sure he'd be at the gate helping anyone he could through. He'd be the last defence before Ichigo and herself got there. Carla saw Rukia frown slightly as her hands stopped glowing and she rose a hand to wipe her brow.

"For now that should be sufficient until we can get you some proper medical attention." Rukia said making Carla nod. "Hannes, let's go." She scooped Carla back up into her arms and turned back to Hannes to see him gripping the hands of both children.

"We're not that far from the gate." Hannes told her. "We should make it there soon." Rukia nodded her head, she would have rather made her way there quicker but with two children and an injured it was better to go at a slower pace. She looked over her shoulder to see where they had came form, feeling Ichigo's reiatsu fluctuate wildly before disappearing again, these gigai were a hassle, they didn't allow any spiritual pressure out unless you spiked it.

"_Get to the damn gate already."_ She growled to herself before following Hannes in the direction of the gate.

X-X

Ichigo stood crouched atop of a house, his face smeared with blood from his early attacks on the Titan's having wiped most of the blood away but leaving a smear across his face. He was searching for anyone that was still out amongst the mess that was the city. He felt useless, here he had all this power and he could barely save anyone. He glanced back towards the gate wandering of Rukia had gotten the four of them there safely. He rose from his crouching position and turned his back to the ruined wall, he promised Rukia he'd meet her at the gate, it was about time he headed back.

Leaping from the building he was on he flew through the air before landing on the ground, hitting it at running speed he sped off through the streets, keeping his mind on other thoughts as he passed carnage he hadn't even seen within Hueco Mundo. Titan's were ruthless beings, and held no mercy for those they prayed upon.

He jumped onto a nearby rooftop as he came to an intersection before launching into the sky and his eye's flew open as a Titan was sitting atop of a roof waiting for him and jumped up and tried to grab at him before Ichigo sliced through the arm, the limb falling to the ground with a crash, Ichigo landed on a rooftop opposite the Titan and turned before leaping up and slashing Zangetsu across the nape of the Titan's neck making it fall forward off of the building and sending it crashing to the ground. Ichigo heaved Zangetsu onto his shoulder, he had come across a few Titan's that were smarter then the rest with different strengths then the others. That however was the first one that had been expecting him.

He glanced around noticing several Titan's moving in his direction. He glanced to the gate before dashing towards it, he needed to make sure Rukia and the others were safe. Then he could worry about the rest of the Titan's.

X-X

Kisuke stood before the line of cannon's, his cane having been thrown to the side, Benihime in his hands, blood dripping from the blade. Several Titan's had made their way to the gate at Wall Maria however he hadn't let a single one through. Even where he stood he could hear the murmurs of the Military Police talking about him, they had tried to get him to retreat behind the wall thinking he was a civilian, those thoughts had been quickly stopped when the first Titan had shown itself and he had dispatched it in a matter of seconds.

That didn't simply bring them to be wary of him, it also brought confusion as to who he was. He didn't have a 3D manoeuvre gear so how was it that he had dispatched a Titan so easily?

Tilting his bucket hat forward he smiled lightly to himself as he saw Rukia emerge from a street holding a woman followed by a man with two children. He could sense Ichigo approaching as well, with the bursts of his spirit energy from time to time he could easily determine that this was where Ichigo was heading. As the five of them approached he could clearly see Rukia's kido work at healing on the woman's legs.

"Ichigo not here yet?" She questioned looking up at Kisuke.

"He's on his way." Rukia simply nodded her head as she glanced down the road, several corpses of Titan's laying around disintegrating upon themselves.

"Who are you people?" Hannes questioned making Kisuke turn to him, seeing the two children by his side, one with a clear resemblance to the woman in Rukia's arms.

"Does it matter right now?" Rukia huffed out in annoyance. "Take Carla, we'll be better use here then through the gate. Make sure she gets proper medical attention and soon." She continued passing Carla over to the blonde man.

"Tell them to close the gate, I doubt anyone out there is coming." Kisuke said in a solemn tone Hannes staring at him with wide eyes. It had been a few hours since the gate had been destroyed, anyone in their right mind would have headed for the gate, the last stragglers were over an hour ago and Kisuke hadn't seen anyone else approaching.

"What about you two? How will you get through?" Eren questioned tugging on Rukia's sleeve making her smile down at him.

"Don't worry about us, we'll protect the gate, no matter the cost." Rukia told him.

"Are you apart of the Recon Corps?" He questioned.

"No." Kisuke said before kneeling down so he was at Eren's height and reached into his haori and pulled out two lollipops and handed one to both Eren and Mikasa. "We're simply candy store owners." He told him. "Now run along and help your mother alright?" He questioned as Eren took the strange candy, never having seen it before. Mikasa took it also looking over the candy along side Eren, both not knowing what to say at the strange gift.

"Please, be safe." Carla said to Rukia who smiled at her.

"It's alright." Rukia assured her. "Once the gate's have been sealed, we'll deal with anything that tries to get through." A worried look came to Carla's face. "Don't worry about us, we'll get over."

"How? You three don't have 3D manoeuvre gear, how do you plan on getting over." Hannes questioned shifting Carla in his arms, careful not to move her legs too much.

"Leave that to us." Kisuke told him. "Now, get everyone on the other side of that gate before it's closed. We'll hold the Titan's off until you can." Hannes looked the duo over before nodding his head and turning for the gate and head for the line of soldiers that were lined up with the cannons, simply watching them.

"So how do you plan on keeping that gate sealed?" Rukia questioned.

"Kido should hold long enough for a couple of years, if Walla Maria is lost a large percentage of this worlds population will be lost." Kisuke said tipping his hat back and looking up into the sky. "I'm doing everything I can to help out, with you and Ichigo here it's a lot easier. I'm taking it was Ichigo who helped the woman?"

"Yeah, he lifted a roof off of her." Kisuke's eyes widened as he glanced at her. "Something wrong?"

"These gigai shouldn't be capable of that." Kisuke told her. "They're stronger then humans, that's a given out of what they're made out of." This made Rukia raise an eyebrow at him in curiosity but he simply shrugged it off. "We're able to use our spiritual powers to an extent, even now, Benihime is making this gigai strain underneath it's spiritual pressure and I'm only in Shikai." Rukia's eyes widened slightly. "I'm sure Ichigo's gigai is also straining, unless my old friend made his differently to ours. Since Ichigo is always in Shikai perhaps Mayuri saw the restraints and allowed both yours and Ichigo's more of an allowance then my own. If that's true..." He trailed off, obviously thinking about future events to come. He rose his hand as he spoke and Rukia watched as his hand pulled into a fist but it wasn't normal, it took him some effort to perform such a simple task. "It's good that after a while they go back to being normal, another effect of what they're made out of."

"What are they made out of?" Rukia questioned, slightly fearful of what she was currently wearing.

"Titan Skin." A loud crash made both of their heads shoot up and looked down the street and Kisuke's eyes narrowed dangerously at the large Titan standing there. He rose a hand up and grabbed his hat before throwing it to the side, Rukia pulling Sode No Shirayuki from it's sheath. They both looked up to the approaching Titan, it was obviously not the normal Titan that either had faced yet, Kisuke knew of the abnormal titan's however Rukia did not.

The Titan was fifteen meters tall, it's heavy footsteps was what had brought the two's attention to it. Its skin looked completely hardened with plated armour covering it, the only vulnerable places on the Titan looked to be the muscle tissue behind his knees and elbows, and its feet. Other than that, it does not possess any notable anatomical deformities.

"Rukia, I want you to make a wall between us and the gate." Kisuke said. "Until Ichigo get's here we can't let that Titan get close to the gate. It looks like it has a job to do, and if that job gets fulfilled Wall Maria's lost." Rukia simply nodded as she sheathed her Zanpakuto before turning and pushing her hands out infront of her.

"Guardian Angel, Superior Protector, bring unto me the fruits that thine garden doth bare; as I render unto you. Ensure that the attempts of the malicious Demons prove fruitless! Annihilate their offences! Vanquish their hopes! Split the Void!" Kisuke's eyes widened as he turned to Rukia who was beginning to chant the Bakudo spell.

"_That's a powerful spell, she's certainly increased her power since the Winter War, I just never knew how much."_ Kisuke thought as he turned to the armoured Titan which was watching the both of them.

"Bakudo #81! Danku!" Rukia called out as the ground in front of her began to rumble and shake before a large, rectangular wall shot up from the ground covering the gate and the retreating soldiers. Rukia's breathing was heavy as she lowered her arms and looked back at Kisuke.

"You did well Rukia, take a break, a spell like that can take it out of you." Rukia shook her head as she walked back ands stood beside him.

"I don't have time to take a break, we need to stop that thing before it even has a chance to get close to this wall." Kisuke nodded as he readied Benihime raising it up in front of him.

"I would make something like a crevice in the ground or something but I don't have that much left before this body fails completely. We're going to need to hold it off until the gates close and Ichigo gets here." Rukia nodded unsheathing her Zanpakuto once again and both of their eyes widened as the Titan got into a position to start running. "Everything you've got Rukia!"

"Got it!" The Titan started running towards them, the thundering footsteps approaching as the Titan headed for them, showing no signs of stopping. However the Titan didn't reach them as a massive wave of blue reiatsu slammed into it's left side sending it flying into the buildings to it's right with a crash. Ichigo landed atop of a rooftop not far from Kisuke and Rukia who both breathed a sigh of relief as they saw Ichigo watching the downed Titan.

"What's the plan!?" Ichigo called down to them.

"Protect the gate until it's closed and they can fortify it from the other side! Rukia's wall will hold up against some strong opponents but it'll fail eventually!" Kisuke called up to him making him nod his head as the armoured Titan began to push itself up making Ichigo frown, his Getsuga hadn't even left a mark on the Titan's armour. As it rose it kept it's attention on Ichigo making the teen scowl as he raised Zangetsu up.

"_It's acting different from the other Titan's even the abnormal ones I came across."_ Ichigo thought to himself. _"Is it intelligent?"_ Ichigo's eyes widened in surprise as the Titan turned away from both the gate and himself and began to walk away. Ichigo turned to Rukia and Kisuke to see that both were just as shocked as he was. _"The hell?"_ He thought as he jumped down to where Kisuke and Rukia were.

"There was something about that Titan." Kisuke said as he released Benihime from her Shikai state, now that Ichigo and Rukia was here he'd be able to regain some control over his gigai.

"It certainly had a goal, but with the three of us here, did it think that goal was un-achievable?" Rukia questioned as she thought of what the Titan's reason for leaving was.

"Either way it's gone now." Ichigo said running a hand down his face, the afternoon's fighting having taken a toll on him, not a physical one but a mental one. "I didn't find anyone else a live out there."

"We did what we could." Rukia told him before turning to Kisuke. "When we have time, we're going to need some explanations." Kisuke simply nodded his head.

"I owe you that. I'll explain everything once we have time." Kisuke told them. "Once the gate is closed we'll seal it from this side and head for the top of the wall, we won't be disturbed up there." Both Ichigo and Rukia nodded their heads in agreement. When the gate had been closed Kisuke used several high level kido spells to block the entrance so that it couldn't be broken through like the one earlier had been.

Wall Maria had been saved.


	6. Chapter 6

The three not of this world seemingly flashed into existence atop of Wall Maria, the town of Shiganshina completely over run with Titan's lay below them, the fires still burning away. There was a strong breeze atop of the wall, not enough to make it uncomfortable but enough to make one keep a watchful eye on their own steps less they be pushed from the wall by the wind.

They didn't appear above the gates but were close enough to see the outlines of the figures of the soliders standing above the gate, manning the cannons and standing guard looking at the horrors below them.

Ichigo rose a hand to his forehead, rubbing the caked blood from his face as he did so. Glancing over the town now overrun with Titan's he had to sigh in defeat, could they really call what they had accomplished a victory? He had only been able to save two children and a single adult, even then Rukia was the one who had gotten them to safety. He glanced further out over the city and past the wall seeing the world outside of those walls for the first time, the land was littered with Titan's most were heading for the entrance to Shiganshina.

"Kisuke." Ichigo started shaking his head and turned to the blonde man. "What is all this?"

"This is how this world is now." Kisuke told him before taking a seat and taking a deep breath, his gigai still recovering from the exhaustion it had previously had of using so much spirit energy. "Titan's have all but made mankind extinct. We just sav-!"

"We barely saved anybody!" Ichigo shouted at him making Kisuke frown. "Don't say that we did when you know damn well we didn't!"

"Ichigo, calm down." Rukia told the orange haired teen making him scowl and turn away from the both of them.

"Ichigo." Kisuke said as he crossed his legs. "Believe it or not, today we saved over two hundred thousand lives, maybe more." Ichigo's eyes widened. "Yes, we couldn't save everyone, but if we hadn't been here. That armoured Titan would have smashed through the gate and the people inside would have been needed to be evacuated to Wall Rose." Ichigo tightened his fists.

"Then we didn't save anyone, those people would have been evacuated! What we did was pointless!"

"You're not thinking clearly! What has happened today has clouded your mind!" Kisuke snapped making Ichigo take a step back in surprise. "Each wall is smaller then the next, the closer you get in the smaller the population gets. Wall Maria being the most dangerous wall to live within while Wall Sina is the safest since it is the furthest distance from the Titans. If they abandoned Wall Maria, recalled everyone into Wall Rose what do you think would happen? Over two hundred thousand people suddenly entering the inner wall, not extra food would be ready for them. You're smart Ichigo, think."

"They'd... send the refugees to retake Wall Maria." Rukia said in shock coming to her own conclusions. "They'd have no hope in even reclaiming the wall, they'd simply give away the lives of thousands of humans just to make it easier to live life in Wall Rose!" She exclaimed.

"We just saved over two hundred thousand lives." Kisuke told them. "No matter the loses, today was a victory." Ichigo simply scowled as he clenched his hands into fists.

"Is there truly no way home." Rukia questioned making Kisuke frown.

"I've tried everything I could think of, opening a Senkaimon, a Garganta even forbidden transportation Kido. Nothing worked." He sighed running a hand through his messy blonde hair, having left his hat down below. "Ichigo, did you happen to bring your substitute badge with you?" Ichigo reached into his pocket before pulling them out empty making his eyes widened, he had been sure he had brought it with him. Patting himself down he couldn't find it. "It doesn't matter." Kisuke said standing up and looking out over the district that had just been invaded. "It would have been good to communicate with the Soul Society about this situation."

"I was sure I had it when I put on the gigai." Ichigo said wandering what had happened to the odd device he had, had since leaving the Soul Society the first time. "The hell is it!" He shouted going through his pockets once more.

"It's probably back in the Soul Society." Rukia told him. "I've got Chappy the rabbit right..." She reached into her own pockets before a frown came to her face and she started to search frantically for her gikogon dispenser. Kisuke simply watched the two search for the means of a way for them to exit their gigai's.

"It's as I througt, neither of us have a way to exit our gigai's." Kisuke said with a sigh. "This is going to be troublesome."

"Can't we just like, destroy these gigai's or something?" Ichigo asked him as he looked his fake body over.

"No, I designed these gigai's specially in mind of passing through the portal, if we hadn't been wearing them we would have been destroyed within the portal itself." Kisuke explained. "If we destroyed the gigai's then if there was a possibility of getting back, we'd never be able too do so." Ichigo sighed.

"So it's either be able to use our full power or nerve go back home?" Ichigo asked.

"Wait you know you're not able to use your full power?" Kisuke questioned and Ichigo simply shrugged.

"Of course, my Getsuga's were not as strong as I wanted them to be." Ichigo told him. "Sure my shunpo is up to speed but after using it for a while it began to slow down. If it wasn't for my hollow I'd never had been able to lift the roof off of that woman."

"Carla." Rukia told him.

"Huh?" Ichigo questioned.

"Her name was Carla." Rukia told him again. "She said to say thank you." Ichigo simply smiled sheepishly as he scratched his cheek with a finger. Kisuke walked to the side of the wall and looked down to see the boats ready to leave if need be, people were already boarding the final boat, and there was still plenty to be put on while the others were packed full. If they hadn't been here, so many lives would have been lost.

"You two, for the time being we should lay low, hope that my Kido keeps the Titan's out. Just until we can figure some things out. If what you said is true and I had only been gone for a week, then time here truly goes faster then back home. It shouldn't matter that much then. At least three months have passed in this world since I've been here meaning if a year passes only six weeks will pass back in the Soul Society. Give or take." He sighed. "It would be best if we don't draw attention to ourselves unnecessarily. I have a place in mind, but it's going to need some work. I've also have a lot more to tell you." Rukia nodded as they looked back to Ichigo who was starring off over the Shiganshina district below, his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Ichigo, is something the matter?" Rukia questioned. "Ichigo?"

"Come with me!" Ichigo shouted before leaping off the wall making the two go wide eyed before following after him. Using shunpo they made their way to a rooftop Ichigo already on the ground, Zangetsu drawn the blue glow of a Getsuga already at the ready as Rukia and Ichigo saw where he was heading. There were three children being chased by a Titan, all three seemed heavily exhausted the toll of the Titans attack taking it out of them.

Two were blonde, a girl and a boy, the other had brown hair and was considerably taller then the two blondes. Seeing Ichigo run at them they didn't hesitate or stop as he ran passed them, they didn't see as he leapt into the air firing his Getsuga straight through the Titan that had been chasing them sending the upper half toppling back as the lower half kept running for a while before collapsing onto the ground.

Ichigo raised Zangetsu up and sliced the nape of the Titan's neck killing the beast. He looked back to see the children still running before Kisuke and Rukia appeared before them making them stop.

"I think it's time for you three to get to safety." Kisuke smiled before his eyes opened slightly and he grinned as he jumped up and grabbed the object that was flying over his head, it was his green and white striped bucket hat. Rukia sweat dropped next to him as she watched as he fixed the hat onto his head before turning back to the three children, Ichigo walking up behind them.

"Who are you?" The tallest asked, his shy nature instantly shown in his voice and his stance.

"That can be left for another time." Rukia told them. "It's about time we got you over the wall. The gate's already closed and sealed off so it's going to be an experience." She smiled as Ichigo walked up to both of the blondes surprising them slightly as they looked up at him, his brown eyes boring into both of their own. Ichigo couldn't help but notice the guilt in the older boys eyes and the clear cold look in the girls blue eyes.

"_Must of had it rough."_ Ichigo thought to himself as he gripped them both by the back of their shirts before disappearing in a shunpo and appearing on a rooftop close to the wall, Kisuke and the taller boy appearing not far behind followed by Rukia. The three immediately stepped away from both Ichigo and Kisuke.

"What the hell was that!" The girl clearly worried about what had just happened demanded. "Who are you people?"

"Look that can wait." Ichigo told her. "Let's get over the wall and then you can ask all the question's you want to." Ichigo sighed.

"Rukia, mind taking this lad?" Kisuke smiled as he placed a hand on the brown haired boys shoulder making him jump slightly, I'm sure she's going to cause quite a fuss." He said gesturing to the girl among the children. "So I'm sure Ichigo wouldn't be able to take the both of them at the same time, since there is three of us and three of them we might as well all take one each." He explained.

"Sure thing." Rukia said as she walked up to the brown haired boy and smiled at him. "I'm Rukia Kuchiki."

"Bertholdt Fubar." The boy greeted in return.

"Well Bertholdt, this may feel strange for a while, but trust me. I'll get you over that wall and make sure you're safe alright." Bertholdt looked to the other two he was with to see them with cautious looks as they glanced between one another. He turned back to Rukia and nodded before Rukia placed her hand on his shoulder with a smile before the two disappeared.

"Well, I guess we're next!" Kisuke laughed as he placed his hand on the large boy's shoulders. "I'm Kisuke Urahara."

"Reiner Braun." The blonde greeted in return. "Thank you for helping us." Kisuke simply pulled out his fan and waved it in front of his face.

"No thank you required, we're just being good Samaritans." Kisuke chuckled as they too disappeared leaving Ichigo with the young girl who was looking up at him.

"Let's go." Ichigo said going to place a hand on her shoulder before she moved out of his grip and glared at him. "Great now what! As you can see we don't have much time for you being childish games right now!" Her glare only intensified. "Why do I always get stuck with the brats." He mumbled. "Look you want to get over the wall or not, stop being so damn difficult."

"Stay away from me." She growled. "I didn't ask for your help." Ichigo sighed and ran a hand through his hair and looked over the roof tops of houses, several Titans were heading in their direction. Without thinking Ichigo used a quick shunpo to appear behind her before grabbing her around the waist making her eyes go wide as she was hefted off the ground before they appeared atop of the wall. Her eyes were wide as she looked over the burning town below before everything turned to a blur once more and she was thrown onto a grassy field.

"Really Ichigo, you should be more gentle with young girls." Kisuke said raising his fan up to his face as both Reiner and Bertholdt ran to the girls side.

"She was being difficult." Ichigo muttered.

"You sure haven't changed a damn bit. Are you still a prude too?" Rukia questioned only for Ichigo to glare at her.

"Look, Kisuke let's go already, you said you had a place in mind right?" Ichigo asked making Kisuke nod before he glanced back at the three and smiled.

"If you head that way you will be at the boats in less then an hour, maybe you can find someone you recognise there." Reiner nodded and held out his hand which Kisuke took. "As I said, there is no need to thank us."

"We owe you a lot, you saved our lives. If there is anything we can do for you. Please, ask it." Reiner said as he pulled his hand back from Kisuke's.

"Teach the brat some manners." Ichigo muttered only for the girl to glare at him.

"There is one thing." Rukia said as she walked forward. "There was an injured woman, her name was Carla. She had with her two children. If you could tell her that we are alright and safe." Reiner simply nodded his head. "Thank you."

"Be safe you three." Kisuke said. "I hope you find your way."

"Thank you again." Bertholdt said making Kisuke simply wave as the three Soul Reapers began to walk away.

"There was something about those three." Kisuke said. "I don't know what it was... but they felt... different."

"Really?" Rukia questioned. "I didn't feel anything." Kisuke simply shrugged as Ichigo had thrust his hands into his pockets as he walked. He stopped and looked over his shoulder to see the girl having fully stopped herself and was staring back at him.

"Oh I think someone has a crush on you~" Kisuke said before Ichigo planted his fist into the shop keepers face bending the fan around Ichigo's hand print in his face.

"She's what? Ten?" Ichigo mumbled as he continued to walk after a smirking Rukia. Kisuke simply waved to the girl before she turned and walked away making Kisuke frown.

"_Did we really save humans just now?"_


	7. Chapter 7

Ichigo groaned as he continued to walk after Kisuke, Rukia was beside him just as annoyed as the substitute Soul Reaper was. They had been walking for hours and both were hungry, they didn't even know where they had left the bag that they had stolen. Probably back in a street in the Shiganshina district. However Kisuke seemed perfectly fine, how? No freaking idea. He was just chipper as he walked along.

He had explained a few things about this world to them as they had walked, mostly about politics he had learnt about and the three different factions of the military, starting with the Military Police, then the Stationary Guard and finally the Recon Corps. Then he had explained what he knew about the Titans which in truth, wasn't all that much, he didn't know much more then what the people of this world knew.

"Kisuke, we've been walking for hours and it's getting dark, are we there yet?" Rukia asked, her exhaustion showing in her voice.

"Almost now." Kisuke simply hummed out. "Just a little while longer." Both Ichigo and Rukia groaned silently as the sky above started to darken, the moon coming up over the land illuminating the darkened land scape slightly. "And we're here!" Both Rukia and Ichigo stopped and looked around. There was nothing. Ok, that wasn't the truth, there was a small shack and the ruins of an old house.

"You have to kidding." Rukia said turning to Kisuke.

"I said it needed work, I never said how much." Kisuke chuckled making Ichigo sigh and walk forward into the ruins of the house, it had obviously collapsed in on itself some time ago and the years of disuse had simply made it worse. Raising a hand to his forehead he turned and looked back at Rukia and Kisuke.

"This is going to take a lot of time and materials." Ichigo told them.

"What you're a carpenter now?" Rukia questioned with a slight smirk.

"No, just by looking at it, it's going to be a pain in the ass." He said walking back towards them to see Kisuke having set up several pieces of wood that had been scattered around, some even parts from the house itself. Using a small kido he ignited the flames making Ichigo sigh, weren't they suppose to be laying low, not using their powers?

"Don't worry, I picked this place because there isn't anything around for miles." Kisuke explained as he rose his hands up to warm them over the flames, Rukia and Ichigo walking over and sitting down next to the fire. "So, what brought you two to this crazy world?"

"We were coming to find you, bring you back and all that." Ichigo sighed as he looked up at the star filled sky. "Doesn't look like that's going to be happening any time soon." Kisuke frowned as he stared down into the flickering flames.

"Sorry. Looks as though I've caused you both trouble again." Rukia and Ichigo exchanged a glance. "This time, I may not be able to get us out of it."

"Well..." Ichigo mumbled. "We're not alone at least."

"That's true." Rukia nodded. "Don't worry to much Kisuke, if we had somehow gotten dragged into another dimension we wouldn't doubt that you'd try everything you could to get us back."

"Yeah but he'd probably be successful." Ichigo muttered making Rukia laugh lightly.

"One day, I'll get us home. I will just need time." Kisuke assured them both. "I guess we start building tomorrow."

"What about food?" Rukia asked. "I'm starving as it is, with how much spiritual power I used today it's only going to get worse." She mumbled rubbing her stomach.

"We can figure that out in the morning." Kisuke told them. "We should rest for the night, don't worry we shouldn't have any complications through the night. I doubt that colossal Titan is going to be showing up again any time soon. At least I hope it doesn't."

"Really reassuring Kisuke." Ichigo breathed out as he laid down, his back to the fire. "Can we make it so we're actually sleeping inside tomorrow, I'm sick of camping."

"This is what you call camping?" Rukia questioned. "Last night we slept in a tree."

"Just shut up would you." Ichigo yawned out as he closed his eyes.

Ichigo felt the slight breeze as it blew across the field, the light smell of smoke from the fire entering his nose making him open his eyes to see the sun already rising in the sky. He rose his head and looked around, Rukia was still sleeping where she lay, her Zanpakuto laid next to her. He glanced over the smoking embers of their fire to see Kisuke looking up at the sky a thoughtful look on his face. Ichigo glanced to see where he was looking to see him watching a few birds, geese in fact.

"You think they taste any good?" Kisuke questioned.

"What you going to shoot them with Kido." Ichigo questioned as he rolled onto his back, laying on the grass hadn't been all that comfortable but it had been better then sleeping in a tree.

"I have thought about it, wouldn't need to cook it then, it'd be already done." Kisuke chuckled as Ichigo shook his head in amusement. "You alright?"

"Yeah..." Ichigo nodded. "About yesterday..."

"Don't worry about it." Kisuke told him waving it off. "Adrenaline was high, we both snapped at one another." Ichigo nodded as he sat up, Kisuke stirring the fire slightly. "Rukia's gotten stronger with Kido, she used a level eighty Bakudo spell. I was impressed." Ichigo glanced down at the petite Soul Reaper still asleep.

"In those seventeen months I wasn't around, everyone really got stronger didn't they?" Ichigo questioned and got a nod from Kisuke before he turned to look back at the house he had inspected last night, it had been growing dark so he hadn't been able to see it very well. It wasn't actually all that bad, not as bad as he had thought anyway but it would still take some work.

"You wouldn't believe it, this house and the surrounding areas. Three hundred gold coins." Ichigo's eyes widened. "Since it was so run down, south of Wall Rose and close to one of the baiting towns, it was so cheap." Kisuke told him. "I figured if I was stuck here, I could maybe set up a shop, build a home and simply help out anyway that I could."

"You really gave up on going back?" Ichigo questioned in surprise.

"I tried everything I could think of." Kisuke told him solemnly. "But with you two here, I have another reason to keep trying." Kisuke smiled. "But first, we need somewhere to live and so that I can set up a lab of soughts."

"If anyone enters this house and sees your lab, we're going to get arrested I just know it." Ichigo told him.

"Oh my Ichigo, my experiments aren't that bad are they?" Ichigo just glared at him making him chuckle lightly. "I'll be sure to lock the door." Ichigo just shook his head as he stood up and headed for the entrance to the house before he heard Kisuke fire off a Kido spell, he looked up into the sky and sweat dropped as he saw several birds fall from the sky.

"You didn't?" Ichigo questioned with wide eyes.

"I'm hungry." Kisuke simply stated. "I'm sure you are as well and Rukia will be when she awakens. I'll return with them." He told him picking up the sheathed cane Benihime. "By all means, rest for now but if you'd like you can start on anything you can think of to get this place suitable." Ichigo nodded as he looked over the interior of the house. Hearing Kisuke's humming getting softer he rolled up his sleeves and started on clearing out what he could from inside the house. Soon enough Rukia awoke, complained she was hungry before starting to help him out.

"Well at least the kitchen, or what I assume is the kitchen is still mostly intact." Rukia breathed out as she wiped her forehead on her shoulder. "Kisuke can cook something up for us then, instead of over a camp fire."

"Is that all you can think about? Your damn stomach." Ichigo questioned as he threw the remains of a broken cupboard out of the open door landing on a large pile of broken furniture. "With how much you complain about being hungry, people would think you've never eaten a day in your life."

"Shut up!" Rukia shouted at him.

"Hell, with the way you do eat I wonder why you're so short." Ichigo smirked as he glanced out over the furniture only for Rukia's foot to plant in his back sending him flying out and onto the grass barely missing the pile of furniture they had moved out of the house.

"I'm not short!"

"Yeah you are, and your drawings are crappy!"

"What do my drawings have to do with anything!?"

"You kicked me! That's what!" Ichigo shouted up at her as she placed her hands on her hips and glared down at him.

"Is this really how you two act when you're not slaying Titans with weird powers?" Both turned to see Hannes stepping down from a horse a smile on his face leading the horse towards Ichigo. "It's good to see you again, someone by the name of Reiner Braun told us the direction I might find you. Carla would have come herself but she is getting medical treatment."

"Yo." Ichigo raised a hand up in greeting. "Ah..." He scratched his head, never having learned the man's name.

"Hannes." He greeted holding his hand out to Ichigo who rose to his feet taking the offered hand.

"Ichigo."

"So is Carla doing ok?" Rukia questioned walking down the few steps and over to the two.

"Yeah, the healers are saying that she will be up and moving around in a week or so. I think your strange healing was the cause of that." Hannes smiled at her. "I don't think we could ever thank you for how you helped us yesterday."

"Don't mention it." Ichigo told him. "Anyone would have done the same."

"No, they wouldn't." Hannes shook his head. "They would have run for their lives, saving themselves. If I hadn't seen your bravery as you stood before the Titan I would have run. You saved Carla's life and allowed Eren and Mikasa to have a mother still."

"No one should lose a mother so young." Ichigo said as he glanced away. "A mother should be there, to help when needed." Rukia smiled softly, she didn't doubt that, that had been the reason Ichigo had tried so hard to save Carla. He didn't want Eren and Mikasa to go through living without a mother like he had.

"This house, you're living here?" Hannes questioned as he tied his horse's reins to a tree as it grazed on the grass. Ichigo turned back to the house and ran a hand through his hair.

"Well... for the time being anyway." Ichigo told him. "It's not looking all that good at the moment, but... we kinda only started this morning."

"Killing Titans one day, playing house the next." Hannes chuckled.

"Well who's hungry!" Kisuke's laugh could be heard making the three turn and look to see Kisuke walking with several geese at his disposal making Ichigo's eye twitch, he had been gone for hours. He didn't think the birds had fallen that far away.

"The hell have you been! We've been working our asses off and you've been taking a nice leisurely stroll!"

"But I brought breakfast." Kisuke told him.

"It's past lunch!" Ichigo roared. Rukia simply sighed, just wanting Kisuke to hurry up and cook the tasty looking birds.

"Well, that was actually one of the reasons I came out here." Hannes said as he walked back to his horse and opened up one of the saddle bags and pulled out the same bag of food that Rukia had stolen the day before. "I figured after everything you two did yesterday you guys probably deserved this, more so." Hannes said passing Ichigo the bag of food.

"Man this would have come in handy so much last night." Rukia said starting to drool.

"You said that was one of the reason's you came here." Kisuke said laying the birds down on a table Ichigo and Rukia had brought from inside the house. "What is the other reason?"

"When the Recon Corps arrive, there is a mission to retake the Shiganshina district." Hannes told them.

"They're moving this fast?" Rukia questioned with wide eyes, Hannes simply nodded his head. Rukia remembered how defeated the troops of the scouting legion had looked as they had marched through the town, most were heavily wounded, they wouldn't even half half of what survived outside of the walls.

"The Garrison will be assisting, the Military police probably won't even get there hands dirty with it. I bet none of the bastards up there even know that there has been an attack yet." Hannes growled slightly irritated before he sighed. "I just thought I'd let you guys know, you sealed the gate in Shiganshina I just thoug-"

"I'm sorry but we can't." Kisuke said making Rukia's and Ichigo's eye shoot wide open as they whipped their heads around to face him.

"It's fine, I didn't expect it of you. I honestly came here since I wanted to make sure that the three of you were safe. Carla insisted that she be allowed to come but there was no way I was letting her on a horse in her condition." He smiled. "You didn't show yourselves yesterday at the boats and when the young boy came and told me us what happened... well let's just say we were glad to know you were ok." He told them. "I should get back, I have duties to attend to before we move on reclaiming the lost gate. I hope to see you all again." He told them as he untied his horse and mounted before galloping off.

"I know what the both of you are thinking." Kisuke said as he turned his back to both Rukia and Ichigo. "But we have no way of knowing how news of our powers would affect the politics here. Some might want us to join the military, others might want to use us as experiments. We might just be deemed the enemy of mankind. There is no way to know what reaction they would have. We've shown our powers enough, let things settle down and then we'll see how it goes."

"You're right." Rukia breathed out. "They could take it really badly, like you said. If that happened then in future events we wouldn't be able to help anyone, everyone would be watching out for us. If no one know about us then they can't exactly stop us from doing anything."

"It's still not right." Ichigo growled out. "We should have helped." Rukia simply frowned as Kisuke went about readying the birds to be able to eat.

X-One Month Later-X

Zangetsu came slashing through the air, slamming against Rukia's smaller Zanpakuto making her jump back before dashing forward and slashing at Ichigo's side, the large blade stopping Sode No Shirayuki from cutting into him. Both were breathing heavy, as they had been going at this for some time now. Over the last month they had spent what time they didn't on rebuilding the house on training where Kisuke would go about food for the three of them, where he got the food from was beyond them but they ate well.

Standing up straight Icihgo rolled his shoulders, his face covered in sweat. They had learnt something else about the walls surrounding man kinds civilisation. It was close to the mountains so it was incredibly cold all year round, Kisuke had tried to warn them the first time they had jumped into the lake after a sparring session. He just warned them a little to late.

The Shiganshina district had been recovered by the Garrison and the Recon Corps, however many lives had been lost in the battle. Ichigo wasn't pleased but there was nothing he could do about it. Carla had visited them once she was able to walk again, having brought Mikasa and Eren with her to properly thank both Ichigo and Rukia for saving their lives. They hadn't moved back into the Shiganshina district, it becoming a military only area. The Garrison along with a troop of scouts from the Scouting Legion kept the district under control, not wanting such civilian casualties as they had last time.

"Man Ichigo, could you be any more pathetic." Rukia huffed out.

"Says' you who's breathing like a damn chain smoker." Ichigo growled back at her, the two continued to glare at one another before they both chuckled and sheathed their Zanpakuto's. They heard footsteps and turned to see Kisuke walking towards them, a frown on his face.

"What's wrong Kisuke." Rukia questioned.

"There are some things that we need to discuss." He told them making their eyes hardened at how serious he was. "Come with me." Both Ichigo and Rukia followed without question and was surprised to see Kisuke had led them to the back of their little house and even more so when he showed them a hatch.

"Is this what I think it is?" Rukia questioned kneeling down next to the entrance, opening it up to reveal a dark hole with a ladder to one side.

"It is. I've been working on it for some time, not as large as the one in the Soul Society or in Karakura town but large enough for proper training to be held." Kisuke explained.

"So what, you've been making another underground training basement all this time?" Ichigo asked and Kisuke simply nodded. "How in the hell did you make these in the first place anyway?" He questioned.

"Kido." Kisuke explained before he climbed down, Ichigo and Rukia following after him. When they entered it looked just like ever other training ground Kisuke had made, a desolate battle ground. "There is a reason I want you to use this training ground instead of simply sparring up above." Both Rukia and Ichigo exchanged a glance with one another. "I'm going to be totally honest with you." Kisuke said turning to face them, a serious look on his usual cheerful face. "These gigai have the ability to transform into Titan's, and I won't both of you to master doing so."


	8. Chapter 8

**Spoliers for recent Bleach Manga chapters in this chapter.**

It had been a year. An entire year had passed since both Ichigo and Rukia had come to this world, a year since the Titan's broke through the wall for the first time in over a hundred years. Kisuke still hadn't found a way for them to get back. He had been trying but nothing had been done so far. Ichigo was currently laying out beneath a tree, Zangetsu laying next to him, his arms folded behind his head as a straw wide brimmed hat covered his face. It wasn't often that the substitute Soul Reaper took a day to himself any longer, always busy with something, training, chores or more training.

Rukia wasn't far from him simply sitting up beside a tree with a parchment of paper working on her drawing skills, or as Ichigo liked to call them shit she can't do right. She was mostly the same as she had been when she came with Ichigo to this world, however she had let her hair grow out, instead of simply resting over her ears in a bob like she had cut in the seventeen months she didn't see Ichigo, she let it grow longer then when she first met him resting at her mid back. Scanning the fields once more she buried her face back into her drawing wanting to prove Ichigo wrong.

"It's still going to suck."

"Bite me!" Rukia snapped back at him, their relationship hadn't changed in the year they had been living together, no matter what Kisuke implied went on between the two. She scrunched her face up as she used the charcoal to deepen the lines before grinning and holding the parchment and board up to the sky. "It looks perfect!" She said turning to Ichigo who hadn't even rose from where he was laying beneath the shade of the tree. "I'm not even going to show you, you ass."

"Why? Because I'll tell you the truth?" Ichigo questioned but before she could answer they heard the sound of horses. Ichigo groaned and rolled over, today was his day to do nothing, he didn't want to put up with anyone.

"Hey, it's Carla, Eren and Mikasa oh and they brought Armin along too." Rukia said as she rose to her feet. "Over here you guys!" She waved at the four sitting in the cart who waved back at her, the three often visited them and more then most, they brought the young blonde boy with them, Hannes sometimes accompanied them but not often as his duties kept him busy. Rukia watched as Eren and Armin went about moving the horses as Mikasa stood by them, Carla already heading over a smile on her face as she approached.

"Good afternoon you two." Carla smiled noticing the hat covering Ichigo's face. "Is he teasing you again Rukia?"

"Yes, look at this marvellous piece of work I just finished creating and he hasn't even looked at it yet." She cried fake tears that Ichigo knew all to well form her acting back in the world of the living. Holding the drawing up to her Carla looked at it with wide eyes.  
"This is a beautiful drawing Rukia. You certainly captured the landscape." Carla said raising the parchment up and holding it in the direction Rukia had been drawing with a smile. "A perfect match."

"See! I told you I'm a good drawer!" Rukia shouted kicking Ichigo in the foot making him growl in irritation.

"No you're a good sketcher, you suck at drawing anything else." Rukia pouted as Carla giggled lightly handing the drawing back to Rukia. Rukia turned to Carla and smiled happily at her, she had grown close to the woman in the year they had been here. Carla often helping Rukia with her shopping when she came to town on the few occasions that she did. Even though Rukia told Carla that she didn't need to thank her, Carla continued to insist if there was anything she could repay her for healing her legs. If it hadn't been for her, Carla would have never walked again. The doctors still didn't know a thing about how she was capable of doing so.

"No news?" Ichigo's question made Carla frown, instantly knowing what he was talking about, her husband. He had gone missing after the Titan attack and hadn't been seen since, Eren briefly remembered talking with him afterwards but couldn't remember the details of what was said or even if it was real. That was the only lead anyone had on him.

"No... I think Hannes is the only one still looking for him, it's been a year and there has been no sign of him." Carla said softly making Rukia frown before she narrowed her eyes and jumped over and elbow dropped Ichigo in the gut making him grunt and roll to the side with a groan as he held his stomach the straw hat falling from his face and onto the ground allowing his long orange hair to fall around his face.

"You look like a damn shaggy dog! Get a hair cut!" Rukia shouted at him.

"Like hell." Ichigo growled out still holding his stomach as he sat up in a sitting position. "There is no need to at the moment and it's not bothering me." His hair was the same length as it was when he had exited the dangai to fight Aizen, the back reaching down to the nape of his neck while the front hung in front of his face, parting slightly in the middle to show his piercing brown eyes.

"Ichigo!" Ichigo rose his head up before two sticks came down and hit him in both shoulders making him glare up at Eren who was smirking down at him holding the sticks. Ichigo reached up grabbed both sticks and snapped them in half. "Ichigo! Why'd you go and do that for!" Eren shouted as Mikasa and Armin walked over to them.

"Same damn reason you hit me for." Ichigo mumbled. Ever since Icihgo had saved them that day, he had been pleading with Ichigo to try and learn anything, all he got was a swift ass kicking which didn't take three seconds most days. Eren simply huffed in his annoyance and glared down at Ichigo before he whined as Carla gripped him by the ear pulling it tightly.

"Ow!"

"You're lucky this is all you're getting, now apologise to Icihgo." Carla told him.

"It's fine Carla, really." Ichigo said pushing himself up to his feet, towering above them all. "It's next year isn't it?" Ichigo questioned making Carla frown as she let Eren's ear go, he rubbed his ear and nodded up at Ichigo. "If I taught you anything it'd only get in the way of what the instructors will teach you since I have no idea what the hell they teach." Ichigo told him. Eren simply frowned and turned away. "Plus that three dimensional moving gear? Beat's me how it works." Ichigo told him. "How am I meant to teach you in something that I don't know how to use myself?" Eren sighed.

"Fine, I'll just wait then, it's only another year until I can enlist." Ichigo glanced to Carla who was frowning, after the Titan attack Eren had only wanted to join the Scouting Legion more. Carla didn't think she could stop him even if she tried. She had no idea that Ichigo and Rukia were both signing up along side him.

The last year had taken it's toll on both Soul Reapers, Kisuke kept reminding them of the time difference that a year in this world was only a couple of weeks back in the Soul Society, but even so... the daunting fact that Kisuke had been unsuccessful in an entire year of opening any stable gate back? They had still waited a year with no positive results. Both had made up their minds that if Kisuke wasn't able to open a portal before Eren could enlist. Then there was no point trying any more. Carla, Rukia and Ichigo watched as the three children ran off to play in a nearby field, swinging sticks around on Eren's request of imitating sword play.

"I can't stop him can I?" Carla questioned sadly. "I so wanted to protect him from the military, but I can't do that." Rukia placed a hand on Carla's shoulder in a comforting gesture. "Where Eren goes, Mikasa will follow... and I'll be left alone as my children go to war." Mikasa may not be her daughter but she saw her as one. Wiping her sleeve across her face to wipe away the falling tears she turned to Rukia. "I brought lunch, come on and we can go eat."

"Sound's good." Rukia smiled before turning to Ichigo who was scowling more then usual. "You coming?"

"There's someone I have to talk to." Ichigo told her making her eyes widened slightly but nodded in understanding as she watched Ichigo steady Zangetsu on his back. Icihgo bent down and grabbed his straw hat before placing it on his head and wished them a quick goodbye before walking off. Both watched as he simply walked off in a random direction, Rukia knowing he had no set destination, just enough to get out of sight from everyone. If he was caught meditating it'd just raise questions.

"Come on, let's go eat." Rukia said smiling up at Carla who nodded her head and both walked over to the cart.

X-X

"It's been a while... old man Zangetsu." Ichigo said as he turned to face his Zanpakuto, ever since Zangetsu had refused to help him help Carla and for him to resort to ask his hollow for help, they hadn't spoken very often.

"Ichigo." Zangetsu spoke as he turned to face his wielder. "What is it you want here?" He questioned, his long black coat flapping in the non present wind as it always did. Ichigo simply stared at him before looking around his inner world, it hadn't rained here in a long time.

"I came to ask you why." Ichigo said turning back to face him. "A year ago I called out to you, wanting your help. Yet you refused me and I turned to him. Why Zangetsu?"

"Didn't I already tell you this once before?" Zangetsu said as he looked up at the sky. "I don't care what you want to protect."

"Don't give me that crap!" Ichigo roared. "Tensa explained everything to me! He understood, you don't!" Zangetsu didn't look back at Ichigo as he simply stared at the sky. "Why wouldn't you help me Zangetsu? I thought we were partners."

"If we are partners, then why didn't you approach me on this matter sooner?" Zangetsu questioned as he turned his gaze back to Ichigo before his eyes widened and he turned to his side, Ichigo following his line of sight to see his counter part grinning as he simply sat on another building in a relaxed stance.

"**My, ****m****y, Zangetsu."** The hollow grinned. **"Who knew you'd forsake your own ****wielder**** like that. Very un****-****zanpakuto like... don****'****t cha think."** Ichigo looked between the two and noticed Zangetsu glaring at the hollow. **"****It's about time you stepped to the side."** The hollow continued as he rose up from where he was seated to a standing position and cocked his head to the side. **"You're not longer wanted."**

"I'm still in control." Zangetsu said. "That means I still have more power then you do."

"**Haha! Don't make me laugh! You've never had enough power to fully push me down and you know it!"** The hollow roared in laughter. **"Don't tell me that these years have made you senile... or have you forgotten?"**

"What are the two of you going on about?" Ichigo questioned completely confused. "What's going on here? Zangetsu?"

"**Go on, tell him! See how much he trusts you after that! I've never lied to him! I've always been honest right down to the last detail! You've lied from the very start! Haven't you!?"** Ichigo shot his hollow a look only to get a grin in return. He turned back to face Zangetsu to see him staring at him as well.

"What the hell is going on!?" Ichigo shouted.

"**You've always been fighting with a power that's not yours, Ichigo."** His hollow grinned. **"It's always been _His."_**

"Enough!" Zangetsu shouted. "Begone from here!"

"**NO!"** The hollow roared in anger. **"You're no longer in control! I'm sick of being a side player! I'm his true power and he will damn well learn to use it!"** Ichigo's eyes were wide in shock, he still didn't fully understand what was going on. He looked to see Zangetsu and his eyes shot even further open as he saw tears running down the old man's face.

"Zangetsu?" Ichigo questioned as the old man turned to him.

"I've only ever lied to you once Ichigo." The man told him. "And that was telling you my name was Zangetsu. My teachings and the wisdom I bestowed on you... I never led you astray in such matters." Zangetsu admitted to him.

"Then... who are you?" Ichigo questioned. "If you're not Zangetsu, then who?"

"I'm the very manifestation of your Quincy Heritage." Ichigo's eyes were wide in surprise. "I never wished for you to become a Soul Reaper, so I pushed your true abilities away, and I became your main source of power." Ichigo continued to stare at the old man before an irritated grunt came from his hollow.

"**Have you ever noticed, whenever you learned more about your Zanpakuto I was always there, when you first gained the instinct to kill, I had just tried to take over for the very first time in the shattered shaft. When you gained the spirit to fight back against Kenpachi, I helped you do so. When you used a Black Getsuga for the first time, you simply copied what you saw me do in our fight against Byakuya."** Ichigo's eyes widened as a smirk came across his hollow's face. **"I am Zangetsu."**

"It is true Ichigo." The old man told him before he flicked his arm out to the side in the true Zangetsu's direction, revealing he was wearing a white shirt underneath the large black coat along with long black pants. He turned to Zangetsu and saw him grin as he started to fade into particles only to be drawn into the old man's grip where a sword out of spirit particles began to form. "I never wanted you to become a soul reaper Ichigo. For that very reason I did everything in my power, to supress your latent potential."

"Why?" Ichigo questioned breathlessly.

"For now... that does not matter. If I told you the reason why, it would only bring you more confusion." Ichigo watched as the old man before him began to fade away. "This entire time standing next to you. I've watched proudly as you've become a man. The pride I feel is indescribable. I'm finally at peace."

"Hold on Zangetsu!" Ichigo shouted trying to rush forwards to the man that had taught him so much but he finally dispersed into nothing leaving Ichigo alone with the glowing spirit sword he had left behind. _"Ichigo, what you've been weilding up till now has only been a fraction of your power. It is time to for you to fight with your own true power. Take it, it's yours. That is your real Zanpakuto. __That is the real Zangetsu!"_ As Ichigo reached out for the blade, everything in his inner world turned white almost blinding him.

X-X

"_There weren't any lies, in his words nor yours. You saved me under the shadow of a Quincy. You borrowed Quincy power and let the powerless me, win. Zangetsu, I have no idea who you really are. I'm sure you'd deny it, but in my eyes, you and him... I'm sure you're both Zangetsu. Are you ok with things being left like that... Zangetsu?"_ Opening his eyes he didn't feel the familiar weight of Zangetsu on his lap, no he was standing now.

_"Zangetsu, I won't ever ask for you to lend me your strength any more... I won't tell you to get out of my way... any more. Nor will I ask you, to fight with me. From here on out... I fight alone... __T__hank __Y__ou, Zangetsu. __For you are me." _

He was now holding two separate blades. One is the size of his previous sword, once again in the shape of a khyber knife, with the grip at the base of the blade and a handle extending back from this about roughly the width and length of Ichigo's forearm. There is a thin, hollowed-out portion running along the back edge of the blade from the base to the middle of the blade.

The second blade is relatively smaller, about the size of Ichigo's arm, and is similar to the first blade, but resembles a trench knife more than a sword. Unlike its counterpart, it has an enclosed handle, with a portion acting like a hand guard. Raising both blades up a sight of reignition passed through his eyes as he felt both the old man and his counterpart within the blades. Sensing the use of a flash step Ichigo looked over his shoulder to see Kisuke appearing out of the high speed maneuver and onto the grass.

"Kisuke." Ichigo said flatly. "You knew?"

"No." Kisuke said as he eyed the two Zanpakuto in Ichigo's grip. "I never did." He admitted. "What brought about this change?" He questioned as Ichigo placed the smaller blade behind his lower back and placing the larger one down his back like he had always done with Zangetsu.

"Kisuke." Ichigo said turning to face the ex-captain. "I'm going to need more training in the use of duel wielding."

**Titan forms will come later.**

**Ichigo will be duel weilding in this story, just because it fits better with the story otherwise I'd have left him with his fake Zanpakuto, but duel wielding in Shingeki no Kyojin is pretty freaking epic so deal with it or stop reading. Your choice.**

**Peace**


	9. Chapter 9

Rukia frowned as she stood in front of the smudged mirror that was in her room, they could of at least had a better one with everything Kisuke could do, apparently cleaning a mirror or making a perfect one wasn't on the list for him to do. She had just cut her hair after two years, the black strands were laying in heaps on the floor at her feet, it had started to reach down to her butt it was that long. She had once again cut it into cropped bob which hung around her face, a strand falling between her eyes like always. Resting her hands on her shoulders she turned and looked as best she could at the back and sighed.

"_It's as good as it's going to get."_ She thought to herself before placing the shears she had used to cut it on her bed next to her small pack she had previously packed the night before. She placed her hand on the back and frowned slightly, both her and Ichigo were heading for Trost today, there they would sign up to enlist in the military. Kisuke didn't say anything when they had told him, only nodding his head and wishing them to be safe.

For over two years both Ichigo and Rukia had grown accustomed to this world, made friends with a few neighbouring farm families. They had made a life for themselves here and had grown to accept that Kisuke may not be able to get them home. In the last four months... home hadn't even been mentioned between the three, not that they had forgotten about what they had left behind, but that it was painful to talk about.

Picking the pack up she slung it onto her back before heading for the door to her room seeing Ichigo outside she glanced over to Kisuke who was reading a book.

"Kisuke." The Ex-Captain looked up from where he was seated and smiled lightly.

"I see you're all ready to set out." Kisuke told her to which she nodded her head, his head nodding to the large bundle strapped to the back of the pack. "Taking her with you I see."

"Ichigo's taking his, I don't know how they're going to react to us using our own weapons but they're going to have to deal with it I suppose." Rukia said looking over her shoulder at the bundled Sode No Shirayuki, it was frowned upon to travel with openly worn weapons so they had made it so they were somewhat concealed, they wouldn't get in trouble this way.

"Ichigo's already told me what division he plan's to join, what about you?" Kisuke questioned as he closed his book.

"The same." Rukia confessed. "There is one wall between us and the Titan's and so far, it's never been explored. It's a fact that both Ichigo and I will be better suited for the front lines, we can save lives out there, maybe make a difference." Kisuke nodded as he glanced to the door to see Ichigo standing there, his hair still long a shaggy only keeping it that long over the last year not letting it grow out any more. Rukia had threatened to start calling him a girl if he did let it grow out any more.

"Ready?" He questioned making Rukia nod her head. "From what I hear it's three years of training, I guess we'll be seeing you then Kisuke." Kisuke rose from his chair and flipped his fan out in front of his face, smiling lightly behind it.

"Just don't forget about little old me now you hear, and don't worry. I'll make sure the house is kept tidy." He chuckled lightly as Rukia and Ichigo simply shook their heads in annoyance. Kisuke's rooms was the messiest by far, along with his workshop, sometimes having spent weeks on end within. They didn't doubt that the entire house would be like that in a little over a month if not less time. Following Ichigo and Rukia to the front door over the house he saw the two horses already saddled and he smiled slightly, he remembered the first day Ichigo got on a horse. It was one of the funniest things he had ever seen.

X-Flash Back-X

"_Why in the hell would I need to get on a horse?" Ichigo growled as he looked up at Kisuke with narrowed eyes, the shop keeper just having come back from a neighbouring farm that bred horses._

"_Well you can't just run every where or use shunpo for that matter, you'd get tired, plus it would get suspicious." Kisuke explained to him._

"_Come on Ichigo!" Rukia called out from where she was already seated on horse back. "Didn't you ever want a pony as a kid?" She smirked at him._

"_And I've already bought them, don't let my hard earned money go to waste now." Kisuke whined at him._

"_Bullshit! That was all of our money that we got from the harvest that you wasted!" Ichigo shouted in annoyance, clearly not impressed by what Kisuke had used the money for._

"_Details, details." Kisuke chuckled waving his hand nonchalantly. "So up ya get, saddle on up." Ichigo continued to glare at Kisuke before looking at the spotted white and brown horse that was looking back at him. "It's not going to bite you, unless it bites you... then it will bite." _

"_I still don't see why I have to learn to ride a horse."_

"_Stop being a sissy Ichigo." Rukia said walking her horse up to them. "You'll be like a real cowboy."_

"_Why would I want to be a cowboy?" Ichigo questioned as he walked to the side of the horse keeping a hand on it's neck to keep it calm as he placed his foot in the stirrups. He hoisted himself up into the saddle only to see Rukia grinning at him as Kisuke flipped the fan in front of his face._

"_Probably should have told you, that one's not broken in." Kisuke laughed as the horse took off in a full gallop bucking as it did so._

"_FUCK!"_

X-End Flash Back-X

And now here he was getting up on that same horse that had bucked him off numerous times in the past two years, still not fully broken in only having Ichigo ever ride the animal, but the horse had accepted Ichigo as a pain in the ass that wouldn't stop getting on so it was contempt to not buck him off... most days. Ichigo turned the reigns the horse following in suit wandering if it should buck for the hell of it.

It had been a while.

"See, you've finally got the hang of it now all you need is a cowboy hat and I can call you sheriff." Rukia smirked up at him as she walked over to her own, much calmer horse attaching her pack to the saddle, much the same as Ichigo had done, she could see his bundled Zanpakuto's to the side of his saddle in easy reach if he needed them.

"I shot the sheriff~" Kisuke sang making both Rukia and Ichigo sweat drop. "But I did not shoot the deputy?" He finished in a question as he noticed both dead panned looks he was getting from the youngsters. "No taste in the old music."

"It was Bob Marley you idiot." Ichigo sighed. "You just sang it badly." He continued as Rukia got into her saddle, Kisuke pouting slightly as he looked at the two Soul Reapers on their horses.

"I'm sure I don't have to remind you." Kisuke said making Ichigo and Rukia smile lightly.

"You're acting like we haven't done this before." Ichigo chuckled. "I kept my powers a secret for some time, I'm sure we can do it again." Kisuke simply nodded his head.

"Just remember, if your soul reaper powers come out it can be easily dismissed as a mistake of the eye, an adrenalin infused hallucination. Your Titan forms will be harder to explain and I'm sure there will be a lot of things going wrong with trying to explain such powers to certain individuals."

"We get it Kisuke." Rukia told him. "Last resorts only." Kisuke nodded his head as he tilted his bucket hat up to let the sun shine on his face.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get us home." He apologised as the two on horse back frowned slightly. "I won't stop trying."

"As we said when you first tried Kisuke." Ichigo told him. "Do what you can." Kisuke nodded as the two began to ride down the track that would eventually lead them to a small town where they would get on the main road that would lead them to Trost. Kisuke sighed as he turned and looked back at the house, it was going to be lonely without the two there.

Maybe he should do something to occupy his time? He heard rumours about a woman in the scouting legion that was obsessed with finding out all she could about the Titan's, maybe he could learn something from her.

X-X

Rukia rode into town, while Ichigo was leading his horse beside her much to her amusement, he hadn't been thrown off but there was no way of knowing how his horse would react in such a crowd. Plus it would be humiliating if someone were to watch him fall from a horse. Rukia dismounted beside him and gripped the reigns of her own horse before leading the way to Carla's house, Rukia wanted to wish her goodbye since she didn't know how long it would be until she saw her again. Plus, she wanted to see how Eren and Mikasa had fared off this morning. She didn't doubt Carla was going to be upset about it.

Leading the horses up to Carla's house they tied them to a rail Ichigo narrowing his eyes at his horse as if it was mocking him for something, Rukia never knew why the two never got along, sure Ichigo could have went and got the horse broken in properly but he never did, hell the horse didn't even have a proper name, Ichigo just called it the damn bastard horse. As Ichigo turned to walk away the horse head butted him in the back making Ichigo grunt in annoyance as he stumbled forward but other wise leaving the obvious challenge unanswered. The horse just snorted as Ichigo followed Rukia to the door step.

"How you and that horse interact, I find it highly amusing." Ichigo just scowled in annoyance at the petite girl next to him as she rose her hand and knocked on the door. The door opened moments later to a clearly upset Carla. "Hey Carla, we thought we'd come see how you were holding up." Rukia smiled as she stepped forward to embrace the woman.

"I'm glad you two came by." Carla said pulling back form the embrace. "I've got some news for you both, I was planning on coming around later on today to tell you."

"Oh?" Rukia questioned.

"I'm moving to Trost." Carla told them surprising them both. "With Mikasa and Eren within wall Rose, If I move to Trost I can at least be closer to them, they can visit when they can that way." She told them. "I don't want to lose contact with my children."

"Well, I guess we can tell you our news." Rukia smiled at her.

"You two finally got together?" Carla asked with a smile making Rukia and Ichigo both gag. Carla just giggled, she always teased the two about when they would become a couple. "I'm sorry I couldn't resist." Carla smiled as Rukia huffed in annoyance at her. "So what's the news?"

"We're joining up with Eren and Mikasa." Ichigo told her making her eyes widen. "We've been thinking about doing it for a while now, we would have sooner however we figured we could help Eren and Mikasa out."

"We didn't mean to keep it from you Carla." Rukia told her.

"No, I'm not upset." Carla smiled. "I'm happy, that two people as strong willed as you are will be able to look out for the two of them." She continued. "If it wasn't for you..."

"How many times do we have to tell you." Rukia said flicking Carla in the forehead, which Ichigo found amusing since Rukia had to lean up on tip toes to do, and even then that was pushing it. "We helped you out, we wouldn't have just left you there." Carla nodded as she rose her hands to her eyes and wiped the unshed tears that were beginning to form.

"We're on our way up to Trost today." Ichigo told her.

"Hannes took Eren, Mikasa and Armin up this morning." This surprised the both of them.

"Armin's joining as well?" Rukia asked and Carla nodded. "That kid is going to be one of the best military minds when he grows up."

"He really is smart isn't he?" Carla smiled. "Well, I don't want to keep you two long, it's a long ride up to Trost and I'm sure you would want to take your time." With a nod from Ichigo and another hug from Rukia the two began to lead their horses out of the town. When Ichigo was confident enough that his horse wouldn't act up they saddled up again and began to follow the road to Trost, almost immediately, Rukia began to piss him off.

It wasn't anything she said, it's what she did, she pulled her feet from the stirrups and sat on the back of her horse cross legged and began to draw. If Ichigo did anything like that, his bastard of a horse would see it as a sign of weakness and begin to buck. Oh how he hated Rukia and her quiet horse.

"What are you so pissed about?" Rukia questioned looking up at his scowling face as he leant back in his saddle.

"Just shut up." Ichigo growled in annoyance making Rukia shrug as she got back to her drawings.

It took most of the day for the two to make if to Trost, however when Wall Rose came into view it was a pleasant sight. The two rode into the bustling city, you could tell the difference between the Wall Maria's baiting city's and Wall Rose's baiting cities. Where the Shiganshina district was nothing but military personal now, the district of Trost was a bustling Market with only the barracks, and recruitment offices along with a HQ of the garrison being the only military buildings.

Dismounting from their horses they walked through the streets already knowing the way to the recruitment offices which were located at the barracks. The barracks were only used by members of the Garrison that didn't live within the Trost District originally while the trainee's were taken to a location far from civilization so they weren't distracted from their training, on occasions they would be allowed a certain amount of leave, but not many left the training grounds.

Tethering their horses at the rail at the recruitment office the duo walked into the office only to be greeted with a man sleeping, a news paper over his face with his feet kicked up on his desk. Ichigo and Rukia exchanged a glance before Rukia sighed and rose a hand before Ichigo swiftly kicked out the man's legs from the table making him shoot up to his feet in shock.

"Sorry, there was a fly." Ichigo shrugged as Rukia chuckled quietly to herself. "We're here to enlist."

"Tch, sign these." The man said as he pulled out a set of forms for the both of them. "Once you're done with that, head out back and get your uniforms ready, theirs sizes for everyone so don't worry you'll find something that fits, give the sizes to Maki and he'll make sure you're sent uniforms at the training grounds." He continued as he sat back down in his chair as he watched Rukia read through the form while Ichigo just signed it straight away followed by Rukia.

"I have a question." Rukia said as Ichigo headed into the back room to get a uniform for himself.

"Yeah what is it?" The man asked in annoyance.

"Are we able to use our own weapons?" She asked making the man raise an eyebrow at her. "Well?"

"Look, once you're ready, you're given the three dimensional manoeuvre gear, ain't nothing going to kill a Titan quicker." He told her.

"So there are no rules against it?" Rukia questioned.

"No, if you want to carry your own weapons you're permitted to do so, it'll only slow you down and you'll be Titan chow before you know it though." Rukia simply smirked as she handed him her form and headed into the back to get her own uniform ready. Grabbing what fit her she gave the sizes to Maki the other member of the garrison that was situated in the back room.

Now dressed in a white long sleeved shirt, a dark brown sash around the waist covering her hips, white pants, dark brown knee-high leather boots, the harness for the 3D manoeuvre gear, and to top it off a short brown jacket with the badge of the trainee's on both her shoulders the right breast pocket and the center of her back, a shield with crossing swords. Taking what she had been dressed in out to the horses she waited for Ichigo to get dressed. He was taking forever, he had gone in before her and still wasn't out.

"_The hell is he?" _She thought in irritation as she folded her arms beginning to tap her fingers on her arms growing frustrated at how long Ichigo was taking. Glancing up she saw him clearly irritated and she had to smile, the uniform suited him well, however instead of a white shirt beneath his brown jacket he wore a black shirt. "The hell took you so long!" She shouted at him in frustration.

"Did you know these damn boots had heels!?" Ichigo shouted back at her. "Who puts heels on a guys boots!?" Rukia simply stared at him for a moment before bursting out laughing, holding her sides in laughter. Ichigo simply glared at her as he made his way to his horse which snorted at him. "Oh don't you even start ya bastard!" Ichigo growled at the animal. He turned to Rukia who was still trying to hold in her laughter and sighed as he placed the clothing he had been wearing in one of the saddel bags. "You've got the map to get to the training grounds right?"

"Yeah." Rukia nodded wiping tears from her eyes as she took in a breath. "Let's go, they're inducting us tomorrow." Ichigo nodded his head as as mounted his horse along side Rukia. "Don't be a pain in the ass, actually follow the instructor alright." Rukia told him.

"Get off my ass Rukia, geeze we haven't already started yet and your hounding me to do stuff." Ichigo mumbled as Rukia mounted her own horse and the two headed off behind Wall Rose.


	10. Chapter 10

Ichigo and Rukia stood beside one another in the third row of over a hundred new confident trainees. They were being initiated into the training group for the military. As they stood Ichigo could clearly see where Mikasa, Armin and Eren were standing at attention. The day before the three had been shocked to see Ichigo and Rukia ride up in the cadet trainees uniform only to inform them that they were enlisting along side them, although they soon got over their surprise as Eren cheered that he could learn so much from Ichigo now, only for Ichigo to remind him that he wasn't an instructor.

Rukia had taken both Mikasa and Eren aside and questioned if they would keep hers and Ichigo's abilities a secret. Mikasa agreed instantly thinking of the repercussions that might come with the government knowing of such strong individuals. Eren was still a bit reluctant not knowing what might happen but had agreed along side his adoptive sister.

So here he stood looking at Eren who was standing at attention, his hands behind his back standing tall like a soldier. Mikasa wasn't far from him standing just as much at attention as Eren was if not more so. Armin however was being shouted at by the instructor. Keith Shadis, Ichigo already respected the man. Sure his methods of evaluation so far were a little far fetched but the man knew what he was doing, he knew what everyone here would face in the future.

He knew that he had to make these trainees into soldiers and there was only one way to do that. Beat it into them, just like Kisuke did to him so long ago. Ichigo knew what they were going to face, what joining the military meant. Both he and Rukia still had sleepless nights after what they had witnessed the day the Shiganshina district almost fell. As Keith made his way through terrorising other trainees Ichigo cast his gaze over the few he had missed, among them being Eren and Mikasa. Being taller then most of the other cadets gave Ichigo the chance to see the others among the trainees.

He was disappointed.

They were mostly all kids looking for glory, not knowing of the horrors that they would face in the future. His eyes went from face to face before stopping on a young girls face, her hair was blonde and hung down her back and she had blue eyes that were hard, however there was something else there. Fear? The way her body was shaking seemed to show that she was very scared. Ichigo could already tell that in a few years she'd be a beautiful woman. Shaking his head from the thoughts he moved his gaze and stopped dead, standing only a few paces from the girl he had just been looking at was the brat he had saved two years ago.

She was glaring at him with fury he hadn't seen since he fought Grimmjow. Raising an eyebrow at her she simply continued to glare heatedly at him, Ichigo swung his foot out and tapped Rukia in the back of the leg lightly making her look up at him with a confused look before he gestured to the girl he had once saved. Rukia's eyes went wide as she saw the blonde girl glaring at Ichigo.

"Save someone's life and this is what you get in return?" Ichigo whispered making Rukia chuckle lightly to herself not wanting to bring the instructor over to them. Regaining her composure she stood up straight and looked over and there they were, Reiner and Bertholdt standing at attention, the two hadn't seen them yet but there wasn't any doubt that they wouldn't in the years to come.

Ichigo stood tall as Keith walked in front of them, eyeing both Soul Reapers before stopping and looking into Ichigo's eyes. Ichigo could feel everyone's eyes on him as he stared into the instructor's eyes without flinching. He could feel Rukia tense up next to him, Ichigo thought she was probably thinking that he was going to do something stupid.

"What is your name cadet!" Keith shouted at him making Ichigo salute as they had been taught to when being spoken too by a higher authority.

"Ichigo Kurosaki sir." Ichigo replied.

"That's a stupid name!" Keith shouted as Rukia's eyes went wide, she knew that his name was a touchy subject with Ichigo and seeing Ichigo's eyes narrow slightly only made her assumption correct, he was going to do something stupid. "How about I call you Dog from now on!"

"_Shit."_ Rukia thought to herself as she lowered her gaze.

"How about it Dog! Bark!" Keith ordered before Ichigo's forehead met his and the instructor was sent flying to the ground. Ichigo respected the man sure, but he'd be damned if he was going to let anyone disrespect the name his mother had given him. Rukia went to grab Ichigo but Ichigo moved to fast and slammed his fist into Keith's face over and over again as several trainee's tried to pull Ichigo off of the man.

When Reiner had grabbed him in a hold and pulled Ichigo up restraining him as Ichigo was breathing heavy glaring at the instructor who several cadets was helping up. As Ichigo looked over the rest of the cadets he saw them all staring at him with wide eyes, even Eren, Mikasa and Armin were starring at him in shock, never having seen Ichigo lose his cool like that before.

With a scowl set on his face he turned his attention to Keith who to Ichigo's surprise was grinning from ear to ear as he stood on his own before Ichigo, the cadets that had helped him to his feet moving back to their positions.

"Haha!" He laughed making everyone look to the instructor in surprise as Keith pointed at Ichigo but addressed everyone else. "This is a man who is ready to give his life! To fight Titan's even though he has seen them!" Ichigo narrowed his eyes, he didn't think he had given anything away, but Keith knew how to spot the signs. "This is a man that will become a true soldier! Tell me Ichigo, why did you join us?" He questioned.

"To join the Scouting Legion and find what lays behind the walls." Ichigo told him as Reiner released his hold on the Soul Reaper. "Sir." There were gasps from several other cadets that heard Ichigo as a grin formed on Keith's face as he rose a hand and placed it on his shoulder.

"As I said, a man willing to give his life for the sake of humanity!" Keith called out. "You have my respect." Ichigo simply continued to stare at him before Keith turned and began to walk down the line again. Ichigo followed the man with his eyes before he felt Rukia's leg in his gut making him hunch over from the kick, Reiner taking a step back in surprise as Ichigo groaned and glared up at Rukia who acted like she hadn't done anything wrong.

"You bitch..." Ichigo growled out as he rose back to his full height, he looked over his shoulder and nodded at Reiner who simply clasped a large hand on his shoulder and nodded in return before heading back to his spot in the formation.

X-X

Rubbing his grumbling stomach as he and Rukia walked along with the other trainee's to the barracks, they had been standing out in the sun for the majority of the day, they had it lucky though, some poor girl had the nerve to eat a potato during the time they spent in line and Ichigo didn't know weather she was stupid or just insane as she offered half of the potato to Keith, who indefinitely made her run laps until she couldn't stand any longer.

Glancing over to where she was, she was still running. With a shake of his head remembering how he and Rukia had tried to stifle their laughter at the efforts the girl had tried to make to keep her potato that Keith and squashed beneath his boot, it was like he had kicked her puppy.

He went to turn to Rukia and ask what was to eat around here, before the back of his leg was kicked out making him growl as he swung his other leg up going to kick the attacker in the face however his foot skimmed over the head, the attacker to short for his attack. Placing his foot on the ground he stood glaring at Annie who was glaring back at him. Lowering the density of his glare he thrust a thumb at Annie and turned to Rukia who had stopped to see what was going on.

"So Rukia, even children are taller then you huh?" He smirked making Rukia grit her teeth and glare at him. "And you're what? Way older then her?"

"Ichigo, I swear to god, my foot your ass!" Rukia growled at him. Ichigo just laughed as he turned and began to walk away before he heard Annie's footsteps behind him before he ducked out of the way of another kick to his head before he swung both feet on the ground placing his hands to support himself as he kicked both of Annie's legs out sending her to the floor with a thump.

"Now was that really necessary ya brat?" Ichigo questioned as he dusted of his hands looking down at Annie who's eyes were wide in shock as she looked up at him. "Now I'm going to offer my hand, you're not going to bite it are you?"

"Don't bother." She said pushing herself up, dusting her back off. "I don't need your help."

"We really didn't get the chance to properly introduce ourselves last time we saw each other." Rukia said pushing Ichigo to the side. "I'm Rukia Kuchiki." Annie simply stared down at the outstretched hand making Rukia pull it back awkwardly. Ichigo simply smirked at her before she back handed him in the face. "Shut up."

"I didn't say anything!" Ichigo shouted at her. "God you're such a pain in my ass!"

"Good! It means that at least someone will keep you inline for the next three frigging years, since you obviously don't give a crap what anyone else thinks!" Rukia snapped back at him, Annie simply looking at the duo shout insults back and forth with one another. With a sigh Ichigo stood back to his own height and ran a hand through his hair.

"Not even day one Rukia, geeze."

"Shut up, nobody wants to hear your whining." Rukia mumbled back at him. Both turned to Annie who had a curious look on her face.

"Are you two dating?" Annie questioned.

"Like hell we are!" Both roared at her before Ichigo turned on his heel and began to walk to the barracks where everyone seemed to be walking. Annie simply turned to Rukia who was glaring after the orange haired Soul Reaper before she sighed and glanced at the blonde standing next to her.

"Sorry he's such an ass, why'd you attack him for anyway?" She questioned.

"Last time I saw him he threw me on my ass." Annie growled lightly, showing she held a but of anger of the fact that when Ichigo saved her he practically tossed her around like a doll. "Not only that, he flatly refused to leave me alone when I told him to." Rukia sweat dropped slightly, if Ichigo had left her alone she probably wouldn't have made it out of the Shiganshina district. "I'm Annie." She told Rukia who smiled lightly as the two began to walk towards the barracks. "What are you?"

"Pardon?" Rukia questioned.

"Your abilities are not human, you don't appear to be a Titan, so I ask again, what are you?" Rukia gulped slightly, when joining the military she really thought she wouldn't have to be dealing with this situation so early in the career. She really wished for a memory replacement device right about now.

"I... well... it's kind of hard to explain." She said as she continued to walk, Annie following her. _"Damn it, I have to figure a way out of this... what would Ichi-, no fuck what Ichigo would do he'd screw it up. What would Brother do? No he'd tell her to get lost and bother someone else, Brother is cruel sometimes. Kisuke..."_ Groaning mentally she let out a slight sigh as she began to think up a constructive lie.

"Well, I'm waiting."

"You ever heard of gama radiation?" Rukia questioned making Annie raise an eyebrow. _"Damn it, movie references totally won't work, hell I don't even know what made __T__he __H__ulk, __T__he __H__ulk even after Ichigo's hundreds of explanations!"_ She sighed. "Ask Ichigo when you have the chance." She said, he'd think of something better, Rukia wasn't one for making constructive lies on the spot.

"You're not allowed to say are you?" Annie questioned making Rukia glance at the blonde from the corner of her eye as something passed through them. She couldn't place what it was. "I get it." With that Annie walked ahead of Rukia making her frown slightly as the teen walked into the barracks. Rukia sighed and walked in only to find Ichigo sitting with Reiner and Bertholdt, the two talking happily with Ichigo. Rukia turned and saw Mikasa and went to sit with her. The next three years were going to be long.


End file.
